Building A New Life
by Yanagi-wa
Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and
1. Chapter 1

Title: Building A New Life

Chapter: 1

Rating: Mature

Betaed by Skippyscatt

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story _does_ belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Duo was floating in his chamber in the hospital. You really couldn't call it a room as it was a zero-g healing chamber. There were all kinds of instruments and equipment hidden in the walls, or floor, or ceiling. That depended on your orientation. Duo snickered a bit as he appended, physical not sexual to that.

He was waiting, not very patiently, for Heero to come. He was going into his first day of physical therapy and Heero had promised to be there with Binky. This would be his first time in any gravity for any length of time since he'd been hurt. He was looking forward to it. He wanted to play with his dog.

It was all well and good to be able to pet her, but she was helpless in zero-g. And she didn't like it much. She whined a lot when she was floating. She had to be held or she was miserable. Duo loved holding her warm little body but he hated her to be unhappy. So, he was glad to be going into gravity. He grinned suddenly. They could play catch. Binky liked that.

The door opened with a soft whoosh and Heero floated in.

"Hey, Heero. Glad you're here." Duo held out a hand so Heero could come to him. "Where's Binky? Didn't you bring her?"

Heero put one arm around Duo and caught the 'tree' with the other, steadying both of them. "Yeah. I brought her. She's in the therapy gym, or maybe in your new quarters. I didn't see any sense in bringing her in here then dragging the poor thing all the way over there. Trowa's with her. Quatre is talking to your head therapist."

"Where are Wufei and Zechs?"

"Not really sure. Wufei is taking a test and Milliardo is in court, signing the final papers."

"Milliardo? What's with that? I thought he changed it to Zechs legally."

Heero shrugged slightly. "Relena found out that some politician or other convinced him to change it. Guess she really had a royal fit. She insisted that he change it back. She's proud of him and wants everyone to know it. He decided to do it just this morning." Heero smirked at Duo. "I wanted to be the one to tell you."

Duo grinned at Heero. "You just wanted a good excuse to neck. Admit it."

Heero put his other arm around Duo, relying on Duo to keep them both from drifting. "I don't need an excuse, do I?"

Duo shook his head. "No. Not really. But not now. I'll be late for my appointment. We better go."

Heero sighed. "Damn. I was hoping ... disappointed again." He hung his head in mock despair. He squawked when Duo tickled him. "Stop that."

Duo just smirked, kicked off and floated to the door. "Ok. For now. I'm holding you to that promise. Later. Come on, we're going to be late."

Heero smiled and followed Duo. "You're going to fall flat on your face, if you're not careful."

"I know. I've been in zero-g for ... three weeks? That I really remember. That means more than a month."

Heero caught Duo's ankle and pulled himself to the railing in the hallway. "Yes, but you needed that much time to regenerate. The doctor says that you've recovered beautifully."

"Good genes, and G's tinkering. But mostly great doctors. Q will be broke."

Heero snorted. "I think he took it out of pocket change. Have you talked to him yet?"

"Not really. Most of the time I was kind of out of it, due to the drugs. But he said something about building a colony? What's with that? I know he told me about it but I don't really remember."

"He realized you weren't getting it so he quit. He'll be around to talk to you again soon. Just so you know. I'm taking him up on his offer."

Duo guided them both around a corner. "Well, in that case so am I. If it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me."

"You don't even know what he's offering."

"I think I do. I remember dreaming that someone had offered me a salvage job. Q had to have done it one of those times I was drifting in and out. Why do you think ... never mind. I'll ask him."

They drifted easily and quickly, pulling themselves along by the hand rails. This area was small enough that there were no zip lines, small rapidly moving handles in tracks along the walls.

"Good. I don't want to put any words into his mouth." Heero pulled himself to a stop at a door. It hissed open automatically. "We're almost there. Down this corridor and third door from the end on the left. You want to go first or would you rather I took over."

Duo shook his head. "No. I'll go first. I need the exercise. I haven't gotten any in a month. Man, am I going to be sore when I'm done with this. Ouch." Heero winced in sympathy. He'd been in Duo's position often enough that he was well aware of how sore Duo was going to be.

"I'll give you a massage when you get done. Ok?"

"More than." Duo stopped at the door. "We're here. I hope the therapist is nice. This is going to be bad enough without the guy being some kind of drill sergeant or something."

Heero nodded, remembering his therapist from not so long ago. Duo wouldn't deal well with that sort of attitude. He was more the kind who went with freeform exercises. If you left him alone, he'd work himself half to death. If you nagged at him, he'd bull up and you'd never get him to do anything. Heero decided to have a talk with the therapist before he put his foot in it.

Heero let the door open on it's own. Duo entered the room and sighed, this was not going to be fun. They had to cross the room carefully as it was a transition room. A room that let them go gradually from zero-g to a gravity field. There were bumpers on the floor to keep people who were disoriented from falling and hurting themselves. Duo floated over to the first gravity station and held onto a pole. He eased around the pole and settled carefully onto his feet. Heero followed him, keeping an eye on him to make sure that he didn't hurt himself. It wouldn't do to undo all the healing he'd done in one careless moment.

Duo grinned at Heero and carefully walked to the next section. Each line on the floor indicated a 10 change in the gravity field, doors at the end of the room led to exercise rooms. Duo was expected in the room at 30. Heero idly wondered if they'd let him look at the gravity apparatus.

Duo eased into the room carefully hanging onto the doorframe. He glanced around the room and smiled. It didn't look that much different from the rooms he'd trained in when he was under Dr. G's care. He wondered where his therapist was.

"Hello, Mr. Maxwell, please be seated. I'll be right there. I'm downloading some data from old training sessions you've done."

Duo relaxed and sat down. The therapist was small, oriental and female. Perhaps this wasn't going to be so bad.

The therapist came around the head high console and eyed Duo. "I'm Kelly Yu and I'll be your therapist. If you do what I tell you to when I tell you to do it. You'll recover nicely. If you slack off or try to dodge your therapy, I don't think you'll be happy with the results. I hate nagging so I don't do it. I tell you what I expect and then I'm around to help you if you get stuck. I don't think you'll do that. I'll be over here, at my desk. This chip contains all your exercises for this session. Just stick it in the machine numbered one. When that machine is done torturing you, it'll beep and you go on to number two, and so on down the line. This session should take you about an hour to complete. If you feel like doing more, just be aware that the machine will keep track of your vitals, if they get too far out of the range we want, the machine will shut down. You got a problem, give me a holler. So, go."

Duo just threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, ma'am. On my way." Duo headed for the first machine. He looked around for Heero and found him at one of the machines. Trust Heero to be unable to pass an exercise machine by. He ambled over, the weak gravity no stress to his unused muscles.

"Hey, love. Here's my first session. What do you think?"

Heero got up and went to the first machine. He inserted the chip into the small socket and waited while the machine loaded the data. "Not much. You're going to have to do at least twice that to get well." Duo snickered. "What?"

"I don't think that lady really believed the data she got from the central computer. Why don't you see if you can't do better? I'll just go ahead and start on this. Just for something to do. Ok?"

Heero grunted, already in mission mode, and headed for the therapist's console.

Duo felt sorry for the therapist, especially if she argued with Heero. He wondered idly if Heero had ever considered getting his therapists certificate, he was sure Heero would pass any test. And it would be convenient for them to have a certified therapist on hand. He shrugged and settled on the machine to begin his workout.

o

Heero stepped in behind Miss Yu, glanced at Duo's workout schedule on her screen and sighed. "Miss Yu, did you read Duo's workout records at all?"

"Yes I did, but they're obviously corrupted. I don't know how but they have to be. No one could keep up this sort of regime. It's inhuman."

"Some say that I am." Heero reached out and tapped a few keys. "This was my daily routine for several years of my life. I started when I was about nine and it ended the day before Operation Meteor started. Please do not assume. You know what that breaks down to."

Miss Yu stared at the records for a moment then sighed. "No, I don't."

Heero picked up a pad and pen. He wrote 'assume' on it. "When you assume, you make an ass of you and me." He neatly circled the letters, a. s. s. then the u and m. e. "Don't do it again. Excuse me while I redo Duo's training ... I mean therapy, schedule."

Miss Yu just nodded vaguely, and stared at her screen again.

Heero set to work on Duo's schedule. He didn't take it too easy on him, nor did he demand more than Duo was capable of. The balance was just right, at least Heero thought it was. He'd have to talk to Duo about it to make sure.

Duo, meanwhile, was working out on a weight machine. He was idling and he knew it. But the machine had its orders and it was following them. He sighed. He was never going to be better at this rate. He wondered if he could convince his therapist to allow him to return to full gravity. He knew he might have to be in a chair for a while if he did that but he thought he had a better chance at recovery if he did so.

"You're frowning. Are you tired already, or hurting?"

Duo looked up, smiled at Heero's concerned face and explained what he was thinking. Heero grimaced a bit, then explained, "You might what to wait on returning permanently to full grav. Give your body time to accommodate to 30 first. You're going to stay at this level for now. If you really want to, you could spend a few hours at full grav. Just don't get your heart set on it. You'll have to be in a chair for one thing and for another, the doctors might not allow it. I'll see what they advise."

"Ok. But, if I'm going to stay at 30 let's not worry about it. I just want to be at some gravity. And when can I see Binky. I miss the little gal."

"Trowa is going to bring her as soon as you're done. I miss her too."

Duo eyed the data display and snorted. "I'm already done here. Next machine."

Heero watched as Duo nimbly hopped off the machine and immediately staggered. Heero gasped and started to reach for him but Duo managed to keep his feet under himself and grabbed onto the next machine to steady himself.

"You didn't see that! Swear."

Heero solemnly crossed his heart with his index finger. "Swear. Just take it easy. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry. I feel good. But my body isn't used to grav anymore. I've got space legs just now and it's really frustrating. I'll be ok."

Heero watched carefully as Duo completed his therapy. Miss Yu never left her station. Heero didn't like that much and resolved to talk to the head doctor as soon as he could. Duo finished the last rep of the last exercise and pulled the chip out of the machine. He carried it to Miss Yu and tossed it into the basket at her station.

"All done. There's the data. Bye."

All he got was a cursory wave of one hand. She never took her eyes off her data screen.

"Well, thanks and good-bye. I thought she was going to be good. Not a hoverer, but there when I needed her. Could she be any more indifferent?"

"No."

o

Trowa sat in Duo's new room, holding Binky. The little dog was ecstatic, she had been missing contact with the six men she loved the best. Now she'd been with Trowa for the last three weeks. And she'd been able to see Duo every day. She was also very fond of Wufei and Heero. She hadn't seen Quatre very much but he seemed nice.

Binky licked at Trowa's chin, trying to get him to put her down.

Trowa put a hand on Binky's neck. "Not yet, little one. I'm afraid you'll trip Duo. We can't afford that. Hush."

Binky obediently settled in Trowa's lap again.

It didn't take but a few more minutes for Duo and Heero to show up.

Duo was looking over his shoulder at Heero as they entered the door. His head snapped around when Binky gave a joyous bark. Heero made a quick grab at Duo as he dropped to the floor then he realized that Duo hadn't fallen. He was just so glad to be able to play with Binky that he'd flopped on the floor on his stomach without a thought.

Binky rushed to Duo and jumped all over him. Since Duo was flat on the floor, she could lick his face which she did with abandon. Duo laughed and caught her up, holding her over his head. She wriggled and yelped indignantly, she wanted her human. Duo lowered her to his chest and hugged her.

Trowa dropped the small ball Binky loved to fetch and she wriggled out of Duo's arms and snatched it up. Triumphantly bringing it to Duo she dropped it and waited for him to toss it for her. Duo picked up the ball and grinned at Trowa.

"Sorry, Tro', little lady comes first." He rolled the ball for Binky, who trotted after it and brought it back. He rolled it again, smiling at Heero as he stepped carefully over the dog to seat himself in a recliner against the wall. "Are Wufei and Zechs coming?"

Trowa shook his head. "No, Wufei is being interviewed for that job he wants. And don't ask me because he wants to keep it secret until he knows, one way or the other. Zechs is with him, moral support. Quatre will be here in..." he glanced at his watch. "... Twenty minutes. Plus or minus five."

Duo sighed, "Gravity. Yay. And now, ow! My back hurts already. Heero, will you help me up? Much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I'll make it on my own."

Heero managed to look pleased without looking pleased. Duo snorted. "Gloat all you want buddy. I really don't care anymore. I think it's a sign of growing up. Ugh!"

Heero smirked at Duo allowing his pleasure to show on his face. Duo grabbed his hand and pulled, Heero pulled back, helping Duo to his feet. He wrapped an arm around his waist and held onto Duo's elbow, supporting him carefully.

"Nope, not working. I'm ok at 30 but anything more and I'm in trouble so this 100 is killing me."

Heero scooped Duo up and carried him to the bed. "Is that better? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm going to need a chair, though. It's nice, I think."

Trowa and Heero both gave Duo puzzled looks. "What's nice?"

"Oh, hell, Heero. How many times did we have to patch ourselves up as best we could and head right back out to kill again? Ridiculous. Now, I have all the medicines I need and all the help I would want. And all the time. Nice."

Heero grinned, remembering. "You're right. And real doctors. With Ph.D's and everything."

"Hey! I resent that. I have a Ph.D! Several, in fact." Quatre's cheerful voice from the door made Binky bark. "Well, little one, glad to see Duo?" Quatre squatted to pick Binky up.

Duo laughed, "Yeah, all Ph.D.'s in business administration an' stuff like that. How ya doin'?"

"Good, good. Just read your chart. I'll have a chair here tomorrow."

"Good thing. I nearly busted my butt gettin' here. Heero let me try it on my own and I did good. But now, everything hurts. I'm not taking a chance on screwin' up my rehabilitation by pushin' things. Did too much of that during the wars. I'd really rather not be anymore messed up than necessary."

Quatre smiled happily at Duo. "I'm so glad you feel that way. And, I understand that there was some sort of trouble with the therapist? Miss Yu."

"Don't like her much. Didn't seem too interested in who, what or how. Just set up a program and stuck her nose back in her computer. I thought that this place was supposed to be the best? So what's with that?"

"I don't know. Trowa, would you be so good as to find out?" Trowa just nodded and pulled out his phone.

Trowa spoke on the phone for a moment or two, then turned. "It seems that Miss Yu is not happy with her new job. She's an Earther and doesn't like space much. She's one of the best at the job but she's not doing well here. She spends most of her time online in chat rooms with her earth-bound friends. She's returning to Earth in three days. We'll have to find Duo a new therapist. One more cognizant of his needs. And I asked the Head Therapist to find out why she'd even been assigned a new patient."

Duo rolled over on his side so he could see the others more easily. "How 'bout Heero? He did today's session."

Heero shook his head. "I'm not qualified. What if I hurt you?"

Duo snorted rudely. "Oh, yeah, I can see that. Mr. Anal hurts his lover? Don't think so. Why don't you at least try? I'll tell you if I feel anything wrong. And maybe we could get a supervisor to check in. Wha'da'ya say?"

Heero knew Duo really wanted him to try. His accent was coming to the fore. "Ok. I'll try. As long as we have a supervisor to check in and make sure I'm not doing something really wrong."

Binky barked, she wanted someone to roll her ball some more. Heero sat down on the floor to roll it, smiling gently at the dog.

Trowa smiled too. They all settled down to talk, seated for the first time since Duo had gotten hurt, two months ago.

o

Heero settled down with his computer. He put the keyboard projector on the table and the screen module behind it. The whole thing was as small as a pack of cards. The two projectors tucked into one end in separate slots. He'd made one for each of them over the last three months. Duo's was his pride and joy. Quatre and Trowa declared theirsirreplaceable and Wufei and Milliardo treasured theirsand said so. He had to smile. He'd enjoyed doing it so much and given so much pleasure. It felt nice.

Duo wriggled around to see what he was doing. "Heero, company? Do that later, ok?"

Heero continued to type for a moment. "I just wanted to start a crawler. I'm going to try to gather all your medical files together. It'll take awhile. It can be working while we talk."

"Ok, sorry. Just ... we haven't seen Trowa or Q for ... what four months? I'd like to do some catching up."

Heero just smiled and settled on the bed with Duo. They spent the next hour or more playing with Binky and catching up.

Binky happily ran after her ball, did all her tricks on command and in general loved them all. Trowa brushed her, which she loved. Quatre gave her treats. Heero rolled her ball until she finally wore out and settled on the bed with Duo to nap.

"She's done in. Poor little girl. She must be so bored with no one to play with except Trowa. No offence."

Trowa just shrugged. "No offence taken. She's a nice little thing and no trouble. But she needs more exercise than I can give her. Quatre keeps me busy enough. I'm glad she can stay with you now. You need the exercise and so does she."

Duo had to sigh. "It's not fair to her. Isn't there a doggy park or something I can take her to? So she could play with other dogs?"

Quatre rubbed his forehead. "No, there's only four dogs on the whole station. It's actually a giant hospital and dedicated to healing. All the station personnel are either medical staff or support staff. I'll see what I can do about getting her some ... one? Something? Well, I'll see."

Duo looked sad for a moment then brightened. "I have to take at least two walks a day. I'll take her with me. That'll help. Won't it?"

Trowa sighed softly. "It'll have to, won't it? I'll see about getting her some new toys."

Heero shifted uncomfortably, something nagged at the back of his mind. He couldn't quite pin it down and he knew better than to force it, so he just let it be, for now.

Quatre cleared his throat. "I'd like us all to take some tests. I have a severe shortage of qualified people and ... well, we're some of the best in the known universe. I need to know what we know. It's important. I need trouble shooters very badly. People who know a great deal about a lot of different sciences. The colony I'm building is ... difficult. I have the very best scientists there are... but ... they don't communicate very well, with each other, or with the construction staff. I need people who can understand the scientists and the workers. Someone the workers can respect. I need US. I need The Gundam Pilots. All of us. Will you help me?"

Duo blinked for a moment. "Well, sure. I'm not entirely sure what you want but you got it anyway."

Heero smiled a tiny self-satisfied smile. "I'm in."

Trowa just snorted.

Quatre smiled his most brilliant smile. "Good, good. As soon as Wufei and Milliardo come back, I'll talk to them too. I hope Wufei passes his test. And Milliardo. I'm so excited. We'll be able to do a great deal of good. Tea?"

Everyone took tea, but Duo was drooping visibly so they drank rather quickly. Quatre smiled at Duo and nodded to Heero. "I'll come back in a couple of days. We'll talk more then. Ok?"

Duo mumbled, " 'M Kay. Night." And Heero smiled at him.

"I'll tell Duo more when he wakes up. I think it's a good idea. How are we going to get the authority?"

"I own the whole place. My word is literally law. If I say they cooperate, they will. Or they'll be on the next shuttle out."

Heero gazed at Quatre for a moment. He didn't look like the genial young man of the gossip rags. He looked like the pilot of Sandrock, just before he blew something up. "Ok. But we need papers. Everyone is impressed by paper ... except us."

"I'll figure out something. You take the tests and I'll have some leverage. See you."

Heero nodded to Trowa as he followed Quatre out the door. He had to grin a bit. 'Personal assistant my ass.'

Trowa's voice floated back to him. "I heard that."

o

The next day the therapist's station was empty. There was a note to Heero asking him to down load his session plan for the supervisor to check over. It also asked that Duo do the same exercises he'd done yesterday. Duo gave Heero a sour look.

"I don't like this. They're messing around too much. You set my schedule. I'll follow it. If something doesn't feel right, I'll tell you."

Heero glared at the note for a moment. "Ok. Just like during the wars, looks like we're on our own again."

Duo shrugged. "Yeah, only we still have Q on our side. And now he has access to all his resources. I'm not worried. Are you?"

Heero thought about that for a moment or two. "Not really. And, we need Wufei. He's very good at Tai Chi, or Qui Gong. He could set up a series of kata that would be good for you."

Duo brightened. "Great. I love Tai Chi. And my Yoga will be good for me too, don't you think. As for weight training, I know plenty about that myself. So, we're good to go."

"I think so too. I'll set up a weight training schedule, on the easy side, I think. And I'll get Wufei to figure out some kata. Here, first machine."

Duo took the PDA and looked over the series of machines and weight settings. He nodded and went to the first machine. Heero watched as he set it up himself and nodded. Duo was already looking much better.

Duo worked his way through the machines as Heero kept a sharp eye on him. It didn't take him long to work up a sweat so Heero brought him a drink. Sports drinks had gone out of fashion years ago in favor of nutritive drinks with balanced protein to carbohydrate ratios and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Duo was especially fond of green tea-peach. Heero made sure that there was plenty and made sure that Duo drank enough. Duo accepted the drinks with a smile then returned to his workout.

o

After the work out, Heero went to check the station again, just incase there was another Memo for him.

There was, it included an approval of his schedule, with some additions. One welcome addition was the prescription for massage, whirlpool, and infrared treatments. Directions to the proper rooms were included.

Heero pulled Duo behind him with a soft laugh. Duo was sweaty and whining that he wanted a shower.

"Ok, ok. Shower it is. Come on."

Duo settled back in the chair Quatre had sent them. Itsearly morning arrival had set Duo to snickering. The thing had every possible accessory available, from a cup holder to a bell. Heero had nearly hurt himself trying not to laugh.

The note Quatre had sent told Duo that, if he wanted anything else for the chair, he was demented. That had made them laugh even harder.

Now Duo was grateful for it. He ached and wanted the whirlpool bath badly. He maneuvered the chair out the door and down a hall with Heero pacing along beside him. Heero opened the door for him and he entered the room. It was a rather large room with several different stations and a bit cold. Duo shivered and grumbled, "They need to do something about the heat in this place. With all the exchange in a place like this, you'd think there'd be plenty."

Heero nodded. "Yeah, but you know these older stations waste a lot of heat because of transport problems."

Just then a huge man came over. "Hi, name's Joe. Cold? Sorry, the heat exchanger is bust. I'm trying to get it fixed but they're strangling me in red tape ... again. I'll see if I can't find a screen or something. It's actually the draft from the open vent over there that's the problem. Cool air, wet skin, cold. But you're so small, I'm sure it's worse for you."

Duo gave the man one narrow eyed look but he held up his hands in mock surrender and smiled. "Hey! Don't mean a thing by that. You're just ... small. Don't produce enough body heat. Come on, let's get you in a tub."

Duo looked at the man again and decided that he'd meant no offence by the small remark. "Ok. But I really do think I'm gonna need that screen. What's wrong with the exchanger?"

"Don't really know. It groans like a bitch when I turn it on and it stinks. Let's use that tub over in the corner." He started to lead Duo to a tub and massage table in a corner when the exchanger came on with a groan and a grumble. Heero wrinkled his nose at Duo, the smell of burning belting was overwhelming.

Joe just shook his head. "We'll have to put up with the smell, it's getting too cold in here. Sorry."

Duo just aimed his chair at the exchanger module and rolled over to it. He eyed the panel and held out a hand. "Screwdriver, in the back of my pack."

Heero fished it out and opened the panel himself. Joe objected. "Hey! Better not mess with that. You might get a shock or something."

Heero just glared at him. Duo snorted. "Go take a look at my file. Maxwell, Duo. And yeah, I'm him. An' I'm not freezin' my ass off. It's just a loose belt or I'll take my little self out of it."

Joe blinked, took a really good look at Heero and shrugged. "Ok. I'm gonna take a look at your _chart_." His emphasis made Duo snort. "Then I'm going to hope you actually fix that sucker."

Duo rolled closer to the now open panel and stuck his hand in the guts of the exchanger. "Yup, loose belt. Heero, I need another hand in here." His conversation went technical enough that Joe quit listening.

"Well, that was easy. It was just a loose belt. All it needed was to tighten the pulley a bit. What now?"

Joe got up from the desk and smiled. "Now we put you in the whirlpool bath and loosen up those stiff muscles. Then a nice massage and a nap."

Duo just nodded and sent his wheelchair scooting back to the bath. Heero took his time following. He wanted a good look at Joe.

Joe leaned over and easily scooped Duo out of his chair. Duo yelped in surprise and stiffened.

"Easy there, kiddo, I won't drop you. You don't weigh anything. Need more meat on your bones, but I'm sure it'll come back. Now, I'm gonna put you on the table and help you undress."

Heero just watched, even though his fingers twitched. They had to trust this man, he wasn't OZ, but Heero's every instinct screamed at him to grab Duo away. Duo grinned at him over Joe's shoulder. Heero managed a grimace back.

"Um ... Joe? You better be a little more careful. Heero ... he doesn't like having someone just grab me. Makes him really nervous. And twitchy. Not good. I'm not too fond of it either. But we're working on it."

Joe glanced over his shoulder at Heero and flinched slightly at what he saw. Heero looked like he could cheerfully murder, mangle or maul someone. "Easy there. I'm not going to do him any harm. See?" he moved away from Duo slowly. "Just me. Just Joe. Come take a look for yourself."

Heero gave Joe a disgruntled frown. "I'm not crazy. My shrink says I'm within normal parameters. I just would like to know what you're going to do before you do it."

Joe shrugged. "Ok. I haven't had time to read the whole chart yet. So why don't you explain things to me while I get Duo... you don't mind me calling you Duo, do you?" Joe turned to Duo who just grinned and shook his head. "...Undressed. I'll help you undress then I'll carry you to the tub. You'll stay in it for about twenty minutes. Then I'll give you a massage. The doctor will come in here to examine you, and that's it."

While he'd been talking Joe had been helping Duo get out of his jeans. Duo stripped off his t-shirt himself and tossed it aside. That revealed his torso to Joe's level gaze. "Well shit. That's a hell of a scar. What'd you do?"

"Terrorist attack on Miss Relena. Got hit in the back. Nearly severed my spine. What part of the chart were you reading?"

"Just the part recommending treatments. I figured I'd read the rest after I got you in the tub. I heard about that. But the only person that I heard got hurt bad was one of the Gundam boys."

Duo let Joe pick him up and help him into the tub while Heero watched carefully. He was going to learn everything he could about Duo's treatment, just in case. Duo sighed as he leaned back.

"Yeah, one of them. Me. And that guy you just so trustingly turned your back on is another. Not that he'd do anything. But you're sure a bit on the trusting side."

Joe just laughed. "Yeah, you're like 02 and he's 04. Nice one. You boys just crack me up."

Duo laughed, glanced at Heero's expression and nearly choked himself he laughed so hard. Heero's expression of disgust was priceless. He wasn't very happy about being mistaken for Quatre.

"Nohe's 01. But I am 02. Go read your chart. I'll just settle back here and relax. I'll have to admit that I'm really sore. Spending that much time in zero-g left me a bit weak."

Joe blinked at Duo's casual seriousness, was this boy really a Gundam pilot? Unthinkable, but Joe was thinking it.

Heero watched Joe carefully, there were still men and women who didn't like the Gundam pilots much. Some just glared, but there were others who took more active measures to express their dislike. Most of them were on Earth but there was no sense in taking chances, especially when Duo was at less than optimal levels. He pulled a chair over and a screen. He set the screen up to keep drafts off of them, nodding at Joe when he called over a 'Sorry, I forgot, thanks.' He settled on the chair and Duo mumbled something about a deck of cards. Heero snorted. They spent the next twenty minutes talking softly about not much of anything.

o

Joe came over and checked on Duo. He laughed and announced, "Well, we better get you out of there before you turn into a prune. Up you go."

Duo laughed and held up his arms to be helped out of the tub. Heero hovered. He couldn't help it, he wanted to be the one to lift Duo, massage him. But he wasn't sure what to do. He could help with the therapy, the weight training, the kata, but not the massaging. He was afraid that he'd hurt Duo.

Joe noticed the expression on Heero's face. "Hey! Easy there. I'm just the therapist. Nothing else. No need to be jealous. I'll teach you how to do it if you like."

Duo glanced up then turned his head away. The longing in Heero's eyes made him wince. He accepted a towel and started to dry himself off.

"Better not. I might go too hard and hurt him."

Joe grinned. "I doubt that. You'd have to be really strong. You could give him a twinge. All he'd have to do is tell you it's too hard. But it's up to you."

Duo sighed. "He's right. It's really dangerous. He could give me a bone deep bruise in a second. He's actually strong enough to break a rib or something."

Joe helped Duo onto the massage table and arranged him, draping a dry towel over his backside for modesty's sake. He poured some oil into his hand and rubbed it down the middle of Duo's back. "Quite the scar. Nasty looking still. I've got some cream for that. It'll help reduce the redness and eventually it'll disappear. I'll give it to you. All you have to do is pat it on. I'm sure Heero can do that."

Heero brightened, this he could do. It made him feel better. Joe went over everything he'd read in Duo's chart and started putting two and two together. He didn't like his four.

"I've read your chart. So you're really 02, that's ... incredible. Not that I don't believe you, but I don't believe them. The scientists. Mad men, the lot of them – And if Heero ..." Joe nodded in Heero's direction. "...is really 01. Well, I've heard some things. You said that you're too strong to give a proper massage?" Heero gave a jerky nod. "Don't believe it. It's not a matter of strength, massage. It's control. See, if I press here, it feels good. But if I press here, it'll hurt. I can teach you, if you're willing to learn."

Duo took that moment to moan in pleasure as Joe's hands found an especially sore spot and worked on it. Heero watched carefully. Joe was pressing fairly hard. Much harder than Heero would have thought comfortable, but Duo was obviously enjoying it.

He decided to at least try.

"Ok. I think I'd like to try. But first." Heero pulled a steel slug from his pocket. It was one of the things that had been keeping the pulley from tightening properly. Someone had dropped it into the works. Probably when they'd knocked it out of the control box to attach the cable pipe at the top. He showed it to Joe. "I'm very strong." He bent the slug around his index finger, using his thumb and middle finger. Joe just gaped.

Duo snickered. "He does tend to understate a thing."

Joe just shrugged. "So you're a lot stronger than I thought. But you can pick up a coffee cup without crushing it. You don't break everything you touch. You just need to work a bit more carefully than I do. I could bruise him too, I'm just trained. So, yes or no?"

Heero looked at Duo, Duo just announced, "yes." So they left it at that. Heero spent the rest of the session watching every move Joe made.

When it was time, Heero helped Duo get dressed and back into his chair.

Heero smiled as they walked back to Duo's rooms. He was going to be able to help Duo more than he'd thought. It was nice.

"How do you feel, now that you've had your first session?"

Duo thought about it for a bit. "Good, really good. I feel like I'm actually going to be better."

"Need anything before we go back? There's a small shopping area down that corridor. We could stop in the concourse."

Duo thought about it for a moment. "No, I'm tired. Let's go back to the room. Maybe I'll feel more like it tomorrow. Maybe it'll be a good place for me to walk. What do you think?"

Heero thought about it. "Well, it will certainly be more entertaining than walking up and down a hall. And there's some plants and stuff. I'll give it a good once over after I get you settled."

Duo smiled tenderly at Heero. The man, in what Duo thought of as mother-hen mode, was so gruffly kind it was unbelievable.

"Ok, and, Heero, get yourself some ice cream or something, you need it."

Heero smiled and nodded. "Ok. And I'll see if I can't find Binky some kind of treat. Here we are."

The door opened and Heero got Duo back into his bed with Binky settled beside him. Heero gave Duo a tender kiss and tucked him in carefully before walking to the door. He would come back in a while to sit with Duo, but, for now, he needed to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Building A New Life

Chapter: 2

Rating: Mature

Betaed by Skippyscatt

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story _does_ belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Author Notes: The political situation of Mina Hurr is quite legal. At this point any further explanation will be a giant spoiler.

Heero settled on Duo's bed and sighed. "This is nice. You're right, no nursing each other and hoping for the best. When you're rested, maybe we could go to the concourse and look around. Then I'll give you a massage."

" 'Ro? Can I ask you a question?" Duo knew he could but the question gave Heero warning. He was still conditioned not to answer questions. One of the things that had made his psychologist nuts. He was much better about it but he still appreciated a chance to get himself in the right frame of mind.

"Sure. I'm ready."

"Why are you so worried about giving me a massage? You do it all the time."

Heero cocked his head to one side. "Well, I've given you massages before, but they were just stress relievers. Therapeuticmassage is completely different. It's deeper and intended to do different things depending on the technique. So I could really bruise you if I'm not exactly right. So I had the masseuse show me. See?"

"Hmmm. I do. Thanks ... you know, you should see if you can't pass a therapists test while we're here. I'm going to take EMT classes as soon as they'll let me. Or see if I can't pass the test. What do you think?"

Heero sighed and stretched out. "Take the test. I will too. If we don't pass, we can take the class together. I'm going to take my Ph. D. in astrophysics. Quatre wants us to test into as many fields as we can. I'd like a Masters in anything I can't get a Ph.D. in."

Duo sighed. "What the hell is Q up to? I don't get it. I know we all have Masters and Ph.D.'s in several fields. Why all the tests and secrecy?"

"I should let him explain, but he's gone through this once. You were more drugged up than we thought. I don't think you remember more than that we were there. So ..." and Heero went on toexplain that Quatre wanted them to be a trouble shooting team for the colony. There were all sorts of problems that could be solved by people who weren't invested in being right. It would save the colony millions of Euros.

When Heero was finished Duo just shrugged. "Ok. We decide what we can get at least a Masters in then we go for Ph.D.'s in everything we think we can pass. That way we know what we need to study up on. I know what's going on, I think. Q's too young. He's the golden boy of the Winner family. Yada, yada, yada. Right?

Heero thought about that for a moment then nodded. "I think you're right. All the old school engineers and contractors all know the _right_ way to do stuff and won't listen to him. The new guard are wanting to use the newest and best materials and construction techniques and the old guys want tried and true, whether it's better or not. Conflict after conflict and Quatre and Trowa both running around trying to get all the crews to get along and referee everything. They're wearing themselves out and not giving other business the attention it needs."

Duo gave Heero a satisfied nod. "Exactly. Now, massage or concourse?"

Heero decided. "Concourse. Let's go get Binky. She'll like the walk."

"Ok, and while we walk, we can make a list of all the degrees we have and what they are. We also need to decide what else we need to have. Between us, we've got just about every science covered. And the maths."

Heero snorted. "Yes to the list, no to the walk. You're still using the chair."

Duo nodded. "I am. But ... it's still a walk. Ok?"

Heero laughed. "Ok. Let's get you into the chair then. We'll collect Binky and head out."

So Heero lifted Duo onto his feet and helped him transfer from the bed to the chair. He didn't like having Duo at 100 grav but the doctor had explained that it was better for his bones to keep him at full-g. He'd needed to be at zero-g until the stem cells had repaired his spinal cord, but now he needed to be at full-g as much as possible to keep the calcium from migrating out of his bone. And exercising at 30 grav was only going to last until he got at a certain level then they'd up the grav a little at a time, as he tolerated it, until he was exercising at full-g and doing everything he'd done before he got hurt.

"Well, don't just stand there with a silly look on your face. Let's go." Duo squeezed the bulb on the horn on his chair and zipped out the door. Heero had to trot to keep up, not that he minded.

They found that Trowa had Binky with him in Quatre's quarters, or rather, their quarters. Quatre was making no secret of the fact that he and Trowa were involved. Wufei and Milliardo weren't trying very hard to hide their relationship either. Some people still didn't approve of same sex relationships, but most people couldn't care less. The few that cared were fairly vocal though.

Duo honked his horn and grinned at the secretary. "Is Binky here? Heero and I are going to see the concourse near our quarters. We thought we'd take Binky with us. She could use the exercise."

The secretary just pointed at the door. "In there, just go on in." See smiled and returned to her typing.

Duo let Heero open the door for him, it was a bit hard to bend far enough to reach the door knobs. It still gave his back a twinge.

"Hi, Q! We came to get Binky. Where ..." Duo broke off to laugh as Binky had scrambled out from under Quatre's desk, where she'd been napping, and jumped into his lap. She tried to lick his face and was told, sternly, to sit. Duo didn't mind a bit of dog slobber now, but he didn't want her to get into the habit. There were a lot of people who didn't want a dog licking their face, Heero included.

Quatre finished his entry while Duo was greeting Binky then came around his desk. "Duo, I'm so glad to see you. How do you feel?"

"Fine, Heero and I are going to go to the concourse and look around. We're taking Binky unless you can think of a reason we shouldn't."

Quatre shook his head. "No reason I can think of. Have fun. It would be nice, though, if you could keep her over night tonight. I'll have one of my staff bring you her box and some piddle pads. She's cat box trained. Trowa managed it somehow."

Duo laughed, patted Binky and crowed. "You're such a smart, good girl, aren't you? So good. No, no licking." Hepatted Binky and made her lay back in his lap. "That's great, Quat. Trowa did a good job, you can tell him I said so – after you've had your fun."

Quatre didn't bother to deny it. Having Binky was fun but she did tend to whine if they shut her out of the bedroom and she jumped on the bed at the most inopportune times. They would be glad to hand her back to Duo and Heero, now that Duo was feeling better. The doctors even said it would be good for him to have her around.

"We'll see you late this evening. I'm planning a celebratory dinner. I'll write the address down for you." Quatre scribbled quickly and handed the folded paper to Heero. Heero glanced at it then handed it to Duo. Duo stuffed it into his shirt pocket. "The reservation is for 7:30pm. See you then. And dress up a bit." Quatre returned to his chair and opened another file.

"See you then. And don't work too hard." Duo turned the chair and headed for the door, knowing that Quatre was working hard now so that he could have some private time that evening.

Heero held the door and tossed a quick smile over his shoulder to Quatre, who smiled back then stuck his nose in his computer again. He couldn't wait until Duo was well again. He had every intention of delegating at least half his work to his friends.

"Heero, we need to ... triage ... for lack of a better term, Quatre's work. He's drowning in details. He shouldn't let them do that. But you know how he is, he'll work himself to death to keep from arguing with people. And why does he do that? It's not like he can't give orders with the best of them."

Heero walked along beside Duo's chair holding Binky's leash. "Well, I think he realizes that people don't see him as The Winner. He's just Quatre to so many of them. They saw him grow up, dealt with him when he was a child. They never saw The Pilot of Sandrock." Heero's voice put in capitol letters.

Duo nodded. "You know, you're right. And we have to do something about it. He's burning himself out. Why don't his secretary's do their jobs? It doesn't make sense."

Heero thought about that for several steps. "I'm not sure. These people have some way to intimidate them? Not sure how. I'll think about it.Whatever is going on, it has to stop.**"**

When they reached the concourse, the first thing Binky did was start to bark almost hysterically. She was so excited to see all the people that she tugged at the leash, a thing she just didn't do.

Heero pulled back on the leash sharply, he didn't what to be asked to leave because Binky wouldn't behave.

"Here! Take it easy on her. She's just excited."

Heero turned to glare at the man. "I know that, but she can't act up. She much better trained than that." Binky just plopped down on Heero's feet panting. "There, see? She's a good girl, but she'll bark when she's excited. I don't want us to get tossed out so she has to behave herself."

The man sighed. "Sorry, just, I love dogs and we can't have them here. I think there's maybe three or four on the whole station and they're working dogs. Can I pet her?"

Duo laughed. "She'll be really insulted if you don't." He patted his leg and called Binky to jump into his lap, making it easier for the man to pet her.

He petted the little girl for a few moments then apologized again before walking off, whistling.

Duo started his chair up again and headed down the window side of the concourse. The windows oversaw a park on the next level down. It was a small park but very nice with several trees and flowerbeds. Duo looked down and smiled.

"It's pretty. I wish we could have Milliardo's orchids here. I really liked that ... what did you call it?"

"The solarium. Yes, it was nice. I particularly liked the fountain and the dining nook. It was peaceful."

Duo looked wistful for a moment then shook it off. "Maybe we can build one on the colony, just for us. That'd be really nice. We've got enough money for something like that, don't we?"

Heero shrugged. "Yes, we do. It might be a while before we can indulge, though. You know a colony has to be at a certain level before luxuries are allowed. But we can be planning for it and doing blueprints. Be a nice way to keep our minds occupied until you're well."

Duo nodded. "That'd be nice. Oh, look! Food. I'm hungry, feed me."

Heero laughed softly. Duo loved all sorts of strange foods. "Ok, what do you want? I'll see if I can't get a hamburger patty for Binky. How's that?"

Duo guided his chair to a place at a table and took Binky's leash. She barked once and settled under the table. "I really don't care, something I haven't had before." Heero left to order for Duo and himself.

It wasn't but a few seconds before a woman came over. "Can I pet your dog, please? When I was a little girl I had a dog just like her. It'd make me so happy. Just for a second?" The woman's pleading look made Duo feel bad.

"Sure." Duo leaned down and called Binky. She scuttled out from under the table and went straight to the woman who scooped her up and cuddled her. Binky wriggled and panted, happily accepting the cuddling.

Suddenly, Duo realized that he was surrounded by people, people who just wanted to pet Binky. He shuddered a bit but managed to keep himself under control.

Heero turned around with their food on a tray, he nearly dropped it when he saw the crowd around Duo. It was at least three people thick in every direction and they all were shifting and staring. He noticed that the mob had attracted the attention of the station's peacekeepers.

He hurried to get to Duo but was stopped by one of the Keepers. "Sorry, son, you can't go over there. We're doing our best to break up the crowd, not add to it. Step away."

Heero just glared at the man. "You don't understand. If Duo freaks out, we've really got a mess on our hands."

The Keeper looked right at Heero for a second. "You're Yuy. And that's Maxwell? Shit." the man started pushing his way to into the crowd. "Ok, people, break it up. Mr. Maxwell will be here every day. You'll all get a chance to pet the dog. Don't crowd him. Move along." Heero kept close behind him, still holding the tray. "Watch out, don't make him spill his tray."

There were some cries of denial and demands to know when they could pet Binky. Duo had to admit that he was beginning to panic a bit as the crowd had gotten fairly big and a bit rowdy. One of the Peacekeepers asked Duo if it would be alright to take names and set up some sort of schedule. Duo just nodded and asked the person holding Binky to give her back. The man handed the poor dog back with a thank you and started pushing his way through the crowd. She settled into Duo's lap with obvious relief. She seemed to feel as mauled as Duo did.

Heero put his tray down on the table and clutched at Duo's hands. "Are you alright? I shouldn't have left you like that."

Duo made a scoffing noise. "Yeah, and what were you supposed to do. Carry me? My chair would just be in the way. It's ok, no harm done. Is that my food? I'm really starved now. And is there something for Binky?"

Heero sighed with relief. Now that the crowd had disbursed, Duo looked fine. Binky, on the other hand, was panting heavily. Heero poured part of a glass of water into an empty bowl and set it on the floor for her. She jumped down onto the floor and lapped at it eagerly. Heero gave Duo his food, which turned out to be coconut shrimp, brown rice with steamed vegetables, and some fresh pineapple. Heero had gotten himself some steamed vegetables on soba noodles, deep fried tofu in a brown sauce and a muffin. Binky had a hamburger patty which Heero broke up and put in the other empty bowl he'd gotten from the booth where he'd gotten their food.

"There. Now we can eat. Do you like yours?"

Duo nodded around a mouthful. "Yeah, it's great. I was thinking though. I'd really like some sukiyaki. Wonder if we could find some."

Heero shrugged. "I think we can get some at the restaurant we're going to tonight. If not, I'll make some for you."

Heero glanced up when someone cleared their throat. "Excuse me. I've got a list of people who want to pet the dog. I contacted my supervisor and he said, if you agreed, we can set up a place and make appropriate appointments. What do you say?"

Duo swallowed then said, "It's fine. I didn't realize that she'd make such an impression. But I don't want her to have to spend more than ... um ... three hours at a time. Every day would be ok. But I don't want her left unsupervised and I can't do it. I've got therapy two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. After that I have whirlpool and massage. You'll need to make some sort of arrangement for supervision or I won't allow it. Ok?"

The Keeper gave Duo a satisfied sort of look. "That's good. We've got several people who would be glad to sit in on the sessions. I'll make arrangements for her to be here when you're having your therapy. That'd be two, two-hour sessions and we'll be sure that she doesn't get worn out. I think ten minutes per person with five minutes for her to rest between would be good. What do you think?"

Heero nodded at Duo's doubtful look. "That's good, I think. Duo, if you're not sure, why not call Trowa and ask him?"

Duo just fished his phone out of his side pocket and dialed. He explained what had happened and what the Keepers suggested, he listened for a moment then thanked Trowa and hung up. "Trowa says that's a good plan. So we'll do it. You can have someone come to my quarters and get her. She'll appreciate the walk and ... oh, she's box trained. Like a cat, she'll use a litter box. So she'll appreciate one set up for her. If you need anything for her, just let me know. Anything else?"

The Keeper shook his head, apologized for keeping them from their food and walked off.

Duo shook his head, popped a shrimp into his mouth and chewed meditatively. "Ya know? I'm not sure this is a good idea." Heero, mouth full of rice, just went 'hn' and continued to chew. "Well, what if Binky bites someone. Or they're hard on her. You know, run her too hard or something."

Heero swallowed then said calmly, "I'm sure there are laws about animal cruelty and the police will be sure to keep things under control. I'll check on her while you're working out. Ok?"

Duo relaxed. "Ok. That's good."

They ate slowly, talking about Duo's therapy and how to keep Quatre from working himself to death. Binky lay on Heero's lap, sleeping. When they were done eating they continued their tour of the concourse. Thankfully, people gave them a wide berth. Duo noticed a small notification in the window of the small Peacekeeper's station, announcing a dog available for petting. There was a small line of people waiting to sigh up.

Heero appraised the people with a sharp eye. They all looked like 'up standing' citizens and he was sure that there would be some sort of background check before they were allowed anywhere near the dog. Any pet, or animal, of any sort was fairly rare in some colonies, this one included, so they would be sure that Binky was well treated, or else.

Duo glanced at Heero then his watch, "We better head on back. I'm about due for my next therapy session. I want to be a little early so I can get done in plenty of time to snatch a nap then get cleaned up. Don't want to show up at Quatre's do all smelly."

Heero laughed softly. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind but I'll humor you anyway. I'll take Binky with me and head back to our quarters. I'll meet you at the gym in ..." he glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes?"

"Ok. That'll give me time to get into my sweats and check the session data. I'm not sure what they're going to do about me having a regular therapist. I'd rather have you than anyone. At lest you know me well enough to make a good regimen. See you."

Heero thought for several minutes as he hurried to their quarters, Binky tucked under his arm. The little dog was exhausted from their walk and being handed around. He petted her and switched to thinking about taking care of her.

As soon as he got to the rooms, Heero checked Binky's food and water bowls. As they were both empty, he filled them, scooped the throwaway liter box and put more litter in it.Binky watched all this with interest, she lapped some water and crunched a bit of food. Heero showed her the box but she turned her nose up at it so Heero grabbed the duffle with Duo's clean sweats and his gym clothing and hurried to the gym.

Duo entered the gym and went to the main desk. "Maxwell, Duo. Second session. You got anything?"

The little clerk that had been assigned to take over the desk blinked. "No, sir. All I've got is a note that your therapist is private. That and a memo not to sneak up on you, let you do what ever you need to do and a letter from Quatre Winner himself, it says you get what ever you want, he'll pay."

Duo snickered softly. "Well, that's good, isn't it? Is there a new routine for this session, or do I do the same one over?"

"Well, let me see. Oh, my name's Sally, by the way." this made Duo laugh out loud. He had to hope that she wasn't like her name sake. _That_ Sally would be cutting him a new one just about now. "My name's funny? Please."

"Oh, well, I know Sally Po. So it kinda makes things funny." Duo accepted the chip from Sally and headed for the first machine. He had to sigh a bit, even though it was only 30 grav the transfer from chair to machine was going to be hard this time. His back hurt like a bitch, he hoped the pain would fade within a few days. He was tired of hurting.

Sally's voice made him start. "If you're hurting, I can give you something. I'll check the notes on your chart, I'm sure the doctor prescribed something." She tapped at her keyboard for a second then nodded. "Yup, right here. You can have two pills now and one when you leave. I'd advise taking it. All that macho crap does is make you flinchy."

Duo shrugged. "I'm not macho, I'm a big wimp. Two now sounds good. Thanks ... oh, if Heero Yuy shows up anytime soon, tell him where I am, will you?"

"Sure thing, hun." her eyes popped slightly. "Um ... THE Heero Yuy? Oh, my."

Duo snickered as he watched Sally scurry out to get his pills and recover herself.

When she returned with the pills, two in one cup and one in a small blister pac, Heero was standing at her station reading something on one of the displays. She didn't recognize him, of course, so she sort of yelled at him. His reaction to this was to turn and stick a knife in her face. Her subsequent hysterics and near faint left Duo hanging off his machine, laughing like a maniac. Heero just put his knife away, caught the pills in one hand and Sally with the other. The blister pac fell to the floor, but since it was tightly sealed, there was no damage done.

Sally finally managed to get her heart rate under control and snarled, "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack. Sneaking up on a girl like that isn't smart. Don't you know any better?"

Heero couldn't help it. "Sorry, one, I have absolutely no tact at all, two, I'm gay." Sally had to laugh at that. Heero turned to Duo. "And you're not helping the situation any. Sound like a coyote caught in a trap. Idiot."

Duo snorted. "And who's the one who sneaked up on someone and made them scream, jump a foot and fall over? Not this boy. Come here."

Heero went over to see what Duo wanted, taking the pills and some water with him. Sally went to the lady's room to finish settling her nerves.

Duo punched Heero in the arm and started laughing again, Heero snickered. "What did you want?"

"Just to show you where I am and give that poor girl a chance to get herself together again. Her name's Sally."

Heero whooped and nearly fell off the stool he'd sat down on.

Duo finished his work out and groaned. "Man, that's not good. I hurt. Sally said I could have another pill. I think I really want it. Heero?"

"Hn. What?" Heero pulled his attention away from his computer.

"Are these addictive?"

Heero took a moment to consult his copy of Duo's chart. "No. Just glorified acetaminophen, it's got a booster in it. Not an opiate, though. You're allowed two every four hours as needed."

Duo sighed. "Well, I need. Ow!"

Heero just got up to get the blister pac, his slight smirk hidden by the motion.

By the time Heero was back, Duo was in his chair. He took the pill and pulled a water bottle out of a pocket on the chair. He swallowed the pill with a gulp of water.

"Drink the rest of that, you need it. Whirlpool and massage now. I wonder why the rooms are so far apart, it makes it very inconvenient to get from one to the other. They should have a complete series of machines, whirlpool and massage table in one room."

Duo shrugged. "Maybe because some people are really sensitive about taking off clothing and getting into a whirlpool in front of other people? This room is usually occupied by enough people that each machine is busy. I don't know why it's empty now. Find out?"

"Ok. Maybe Quatre had something to do with it?"

Duo snorted, realizing that that was probably exactly what was going on. "Ya think? I don't like it. I like people and noise. It would be better if I had ... companions in pain. You know?"

Heero shrugged. "No, not really. I always preferred to recover on my own. But you're just the opposite, aren't you? I'll see what I can do. But we need to get your massage done and get back to our quarters. You'll need to wash your hair before we head out to the restaurant."

Joe greeted them with a smile and a motion to the table in the corner. "I'll be with you in a minute. I need to get another man out of here."

Duo cleared his throat. "Um ... that's not necessary. I really don't mind having people around. In fact, I like it. I don't like being alone. And I hate the idea that I might be putting someone else at a disadvantage. So, please, don't rush the other patient off."

Joe nodded. "That's good. I don't like it when a patient doesn't want others around. It's ... not natural. Most people need others around them when they're sick or hurt. The one's who crawl off like some hurt animal usually have depression problems, or worse. There's very few who are really happy going it alone."

Duo poked Heero in the ribs with one sharp finger. "See, see? I told you. Lone wolf that you are."

Heero batted at Duo's hand without rancor. "So? I'm different."

"Yeah, sure."

"Idiot."

Duo made that sound usually referred to as a raspberry.

"Ok, you two, break it up. You..." Joe pointed to Duo. "On the table. You..." he pointed to Heero. "You'll be doing the massage, under my supervision. If you have any questions, no matter how silly they seem, feel free to ask."

Heero nodded, took up the bottle of warm oil and poured some into his hand. "Massage first, then whirlpool? Why?"

Joe grinned. "Because it's better to alternate them. The morning he'll be stiffer and the whirlpool will soften the muscles so the massage is more effective. In the after noon it's better the other way around."

Heero nodded his understanding and started the massage. Duo just groaned softly in pleasure. His whispered, "Too bad we're not at home," made Heero snarl.

Duo settled into the whirlpool with a sigh. "Oh, man, that's nice. Heero? Why can't you join me? It's big enough."

Heero adjusted his jeans. "Not a good idea. Excuse me." Heero headed for the small men's room. Duo watched him with a faint frown on his face. He knew exactly what Heero's problem was and also that he couldn't do anything about it, yet.

Joe wandered over to the bath and glanced around. "Where's Heero?"

"Men's room. He'll be back in a few minutes." Duo blushed a bit. Joe raised an eye brow but refrained from comment. "How'd the massage go?"

"Good. Heero's a real quick study." Duo sighed. "And speaking of that. What's the url for the college on station?"

Joe gave it to him. "Why? You thinking of taking classes?"

"No. Quatre wants us to get our degrees from a college here. Our paper from Earth isn't as well respected. I've got ... I don't remember ... Ph.D.'s out my ass. So does Heero. But we need to retest for them. Paper from here means something."

"Um ... honorary degrees don't mean much."

"Um ... yourself. Gundam pilot here. Wrenched mine myself. So did all the others. You have to have the knowledge, even if you don't have paper. You know?"

Joe did. "You guys are all amazing. I'm boggled every time I think of someone sending five 15 year old boys to fight in those things. And realizing that you have to have extensive knowledge of hydraulics, electronics, metallurgy, engineering, computers and ... now I've really scared myself. Geeze."

Duo laughed and added, "Yeah, and spatial navigation, ballistics, trajectory configurations and ... the math alone should take a fairly powerful computer. Would you believe ... I can do it all in my head? Really scary."

They shared a companionable laugh. Joe handed Duo a bottle of nutrient drink and moved on. There were four other people in the room, at different stations and several staff members as well. Duo felt a lot better with more people around him.

Heero returned, looking flushed and distracted. Duo laughed and held up his arms to be helped out of the bath.

After drying off, Duo settled into his chair and let Heero help him into new sweats. He really didn't need that much help but Heero liked it so Duo didn't object. Heero helped Duo settled more comfortably in the chair and they headed back to their quarters.

"Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"How am I doing, really?" Duo looked up at Heero, doubt evident in his brilliant eyes.

"Great. The only one of us who heals better than me is you. You've crammed four months healing into two. You should still be in zero-g, floating around while your spinal cord knits. You're only feeling weak because you've spent too much time either flat on your back or floating in zero-g." Duo opened his mouth to say something but Heero held up his hand. "Duo, love, think. We all spent a lot of time in zero-g, learning to move in it. But when did any of us ever spend more that three or four days at a stretch? And you've been in it for two months solid. It's going to take some time to get you're muscle back, finish healing your back and start you back to full strength. Don't rush it."

Duo brightened visibly. "Well, I didn't think of it that way. This'll give us both time to take whatever tests Quatre wants us to take."

"Right. Now come on, hurry up. I'm looking forward to that sukiyaki."

So Duo pushed the speed control on his chair to the last stop and made Heero jog all the way back to their quarters. It just made Heero laugh as the chair wasn't capable of more than three kilometers an hour.

Heero helped Duo wash his hair as it still hurt him to hold his arms over his head that long. Duo sighed happily at the attention. He loved having Heero wash his – well, anything.

Duo managed to get to the bed on his own but couldn't get on it. He just didn't have to muscle to lift his weight from the floor onto the mattress. Heero helped him up without comment but Duo couldn't avoid a rather snarky, "Thanks so much. I hate being this weak." Heero just handed Binky to him and said, rather flatly, "Nap. I'm going to shower, now that you're clean. Love you. Don't sulk, ok?"

Duo made a rude noise but settled down to rest, even if he didn't actually nap.

Heero made quick work of his shower as he'd gotten mostly clean helping Duo. All he really needed to do was wash his own hair and dry it. He ran a hand over his chin, decided that he didn't need to shave and went back out to the main living area.

"Are you going to be ready soon? I'd like to get an early start as the restaurant is 20 degrees around the section." Duo looked up from gently pulling Binky's ears. "We're at eighteen degrees in section 20 level 4. The restaurant is at 38 degrees, section 40, level 6. That's a way to go."

Duo patted Binky and lowered her to the mattress. "Ok. I want to wear that pair of black linen trousers and dark blue silk shirt. And those zippered boots. What do you think?"

"I think you'll look great. I'll wear my black trousers and that dark green cotton. But I think I'll wear those shoes with the sticky soles."

Duo smiled. "What? You're expecting a grav accident? On a hospital station?"

Heero smiled back but shrugged. "Don't know. I just like those shoes. They're really comfortable."

Duo nodded. "Oh, and it's not like we've never had comfortable shoes before."

Heero ducked his head a bit. He'd had to admit, on a mission, that he found combat boots comfortable only when they were broken in, for several months. New boots gave him blisters. Duo had agreed with him, announcing that the only boots that were comfortable for him were nearly worn out. Quatre and Trowa had laughed at them and Wufei had called them 'fools'.

They reached the central corridor without incident but had some trouble getting Duo's chair onto the slide way. It was wider than a normal chair and they had to squeeze it through the gate.

Duo rubbed his face. "Well, that was fun. This chair is exactly three inches wider that a regular chair. Why didn't they make allowances for something like this? This is stupid. If I didn't have you with me, I'd have had to take the long way around. Not so good."

Heero nodded. "You're right. Engineers and designers sometimes don't make allowances for 'might happen.' We'll have to keep an eye on things like that."

"You're right." Duo beeped his horn, laughing merrily at the people who jumped at the sound. Most of them grinned or nodded, a few looked a bit disgruntled.

After some travel on the slide way, they changed to an elevator. The drop shaft was nearby but Duo couldn't use that with his chair. The elevator dropped 'down', a relative term on a station, through the hub and 'up' making a turn in the zero-g center of the station and moving into the proper section. Heero grumbled as they had to leave that elevator and board a different one. Duo just sighed. "Sorry, 'Ro. If it wasn't for this chair we could take the drop shaft and do a switch at the hub, take a different shaft into grav and then take a slide way and walk the rest. Take ... fifteen minutes at most."

Heero shook his head. "Don't be sorry. Itdoesn't make any difference. I planned for it. When you get well enough I'll play a game of station tag with you. How's that?"

Duo gazed at Heero over his shoulder, a bit wide eyed with glee. "Really? Promise?"

Heero nodded. "Promise."

The restaurant was one of those eclectic things where you could have a small room to yourself, if your group was large enough or you were rich enough. Quatre was rich enough. Duo grinned as they were escorted to the side room with much bowing and scraping.

Duo got situated with Heero's help, moving chairs and finding the right spot was a bit difficult. Heero's help made life much easier for the still crippled Duo.

"Thanks'Ro. I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me all the time."

"Yeah, I do. Sister said once that we should thank strangers once, parents twice and lovers three times. She said that a lot of relationships are spoiled by taking things for granted. Wise lady, Sister."

Heero smiled gently and gave up, it seemed that Duo was going to thank him whether he wanted him to or not.

They sat drinking tea while they waited, it wasn't long before Quatre showed up with Trowa in tow.

"Hiཀ Man,am I glad thisday's over. I'm exhausted, starved and I want my tea." Quatre's last words were said with a dramatic whine that made all three of the others laugh. Tea was duly brought.

"Great, my favorite Jasmine." Quatre raised his cup to his lips and sipped in evident enjoyment. "Ahhཀ Great. Wufei and Milliardo should be here soon. We'll wait for them, unless there's an objection." There wasn't one so they settled in to drink tea and talk about the news of the day.

The server had just brought the second pot of tea when Wufei and Milliardo walked in, looking very self-satisfied. They took their seats and accepted cups from Quatre.

"Well?"

Milliardo managed to look proud and smirk at the same time. "He passed."

"Yes, third in my class. I couldn't get first or second because of my attendance record." Wufei smiled, a small mysteriously cold one but full of satisfaction anyway.

Duo bounced in his chair. "Ok, ok. Kill me with suspense. What the hell is going on?"

Quatre just smiled at Duo. "Patience. Champagne is coming." Just then a server entered with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. "Yes, here it is."

Quatre waited patiently as the server opened the wine and poured it into glasses, a very small one for Duo who just nodded and accepted that, due to his medicines all he got was a big sip.

"Now, raise your glasses to the first judge of my colony. The Honorable Chang Wufei first justice of Mina Hurr. The beginning of a real legal system. Saluteཀ"

"Saluteཀ" Five glasses rose in salutation. Wufei bowed from the waist while still seated.

"Thank you all. It was a hard test but well worth it."

Duo looked puzzled. "What test was it? I didn't know there was a test for judges."

"The ESUN Bar Exam. The test you have to take to be a lawyer. I took it then found out that I had to pass the gradation test at some university. Luckily they took the Bar exam as good enough."

Duo scowled, "Exactly what is going on. Quatre, I want to know exactly what you're expecting of us. I know you explained it all once but I think you left something out of it."

"I'm having trouble with everything. You remember right after Heero got out? We all had jobs with WEI. What happened to them? You wound up shuffled off into corners, doing crap work. I moved you to Security, now you're my 'hit men' there's trouble all over the colony. The kind of stuff that I can't handle myself, I'm too far up the line. I can tell my secretary to do this or that, but by the time it gets to the rank and file, it's lost its force. So, I need you to get degrees in anything you can pass. The more paper you have the more you're respected. I don't have the time to test into hard sciences. I'm locked in on Business Admin. So's Trowa. Wufei is the legal expert and Milliardo is Public Relations with a capital PR. So that leaves you, Duo and you, Heero, to be the science guys."

"The testing starts as soon as you can figure out what you need to test in."

Heero cleared his throat. "I think we should put this off until a bit later. We don't need to rush this much. Let's just celebrate Wufei's good news tonight and worry about the rest tomorrow, Ok?

Quatre flushed a bit. "Yes, you're right. Sorry Wufei."

Wufei just shrugged. "That's fine. We've given them fair warning. Now. Food."

Heero glanced at Wufei. "You should choose. It's your celebration."

Wufei considered for several moments. "I'm in the mood for sukiyaki. I've been thinking about it for several days. Anyone have any objections?"

No one did, in fact, Heero smiled so happily that Milliardo raised an eye brow. Duo confided to Wufei, sottovoce. "Heero's been wanting some too. So have I. Order lots of beef and tofu ok?"

Quatre turned his head to look at the server who just nodded and started to turn away. Heero's voice stopped him. "And bring enough. I hate having to reorder."

The server gave Heero a puzzled look so Quatre had to explain. "We all eat a lot. Bring enough for at least twelve servings and extra rice too."

The server just nodded and left. If a customer like Quatre Raberba Winner wanted, he got.

The food arrived soon as it was cooked at the table. All the ingredients were cut up and placed on trays, the pan was mounted on its heater and a cooker of rice was plugged in. The server started to put ingredients in the pan but Heero motioned him away. He just bowed and walked out the door. It wasn't that unusual for oriental guests to do the cooking themselves.

Heero arranged the beef, tofu, mushrooms, noodles and other ingredients in the pan, mixed his sauce and put the top on the pan. While he was doing that, Wufei checked to see that the rice was rinsed properly and had enough water on it.

While they were waiting for the food to cook, they continued to talk about everyday things.

It didn't take that long for the first pan to finish cooking, so everyone took a bowl and helped themselves from the deep frying pan. As soon as the pan was empty, Heero filled it again.

Duo glanced around the table. "Heero? Where's the egg?"

Heero's eyes darted around the table. "I'll ask for some." Heero went to the door and spoke to someone outside. "They didn't realize that we are so traditional. The eggs will be here soon."

A sharp bing made them all jump then laugh. The rice cooker had chimed. The rice was finished.

More bowls were passed around and the eggs came. Wufei cracked four of them into bowls and beat each one until it was frothy, using several chopsticks to do the job. He handed bowls to Heero, Duo, and Milliardo, keeping one for himself. Quatre and Trowa didn't care for the egg dip.

It didn't take them long to, as Duo said, Hoover down the food. Although they enjoyed it as much as any bunch of young men could. They drank tea and finished off the rest of the rice.

When they broke up to return to their various quarters, Duo hugged Wufei. "Congrats, man. Well done."

Wufei bowed slightly. "Thank you. Hurry up and get well."

Duo grinned bid Milliardo to take Wufei off and 'see to him' which made Milliardo blush a bit.

Heero swatted Duo on the shoulder. "You'll embarrass him."

Duo nodded, braid bouncing. "That's the idea."

Trowa snorted and dragged Quatre away before Duo could embarrass them too. Duo scowled when he realized that he'd missed an opportunity. Heero snickered and took him out the door.

"Man, that's so not fair. I don't get to have any fun. Sucks."

"You get to have all kinds of fun. Just behave yourself for a while. I think Quatre is under a lot of stress right now. We need to speak to him as soon as we can manage."

"I think I'm off tomorrow. Joe said something about having three days on, one off. Sounds good to me. Maybe we can talk to him, say, in the afternoon?"

Heero nodded, easily keeping pace with Duo's chair. "Good idea. We need to find out what he expects from us. I don't understand why we need to take more degrees, other than the reason I suggested the other day."

Duo frowned for a moment. "Well, some spacers don't trust Earth schools. They think the schools just hand out paper like it's nothing. If we take tests and get degrees from Colonial universities we'll get more respect. And it's not like we haven't done it before."

Heero nodded. "It's not going to be that hard up here. All we have to do is sit down at a computer and start. I'll look into the procedure tomorrow. I'm too full and too relaxed. I don't want to spoil it."

Duo yawned widely. "Me neither. And I'm glad to be in space again, in more ways than one. Take me home and let me sleep."

Heero nodded. "Me too. Maybe we should take the outer train?"

Duo thought about taking a train that went around the outer curve of the station instead of going through the core. It took longer, but all they had to do was get to the station via an elevator, get on the train and take another elevator down into their section. It took longer but it wasn't as tiring.

"Train it is."

It took them nearly an hour to get back home. They entered the rooms with grateful sighs. Heero dumped his jacket on the couch while Duo headed for the bedroom.

"I'm bushed. Did I actually fall asleep on a train?" Heero grinned wearily then nodded. "That's a bit unnerving. Oh, well. I'm for bed."

Heero stretched and followed Duo on into the room. "Me too. Need help?"

Duo shook his head, making the shift from his chair to the bed easily. He was getting stronger by the minute. "I'll need help in the morning, though. I can manage chair to bed but bed to chair, or floor to bed, I just can't quite manage. My arms are too short."

Heero turned with a pair of pajamas in his hand. "I'm wearing these. You want?"

Duo nodded. "Please."

Heero dressed in pajamas, which he wasn't fond of. Duo let him help him into some and they both settled on the bed.

"'Ro?"

"Hn?"

"I think I'm going to like the job."

"Me too."

Heero started to say something else then realized that Duo was already sound asleep. He snuggled Duo and went to sleep himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Building A New Life 3

It didn't take them long to realize that getting Ph.D.'s was going to be really difficult. There were so many requirements that they had just whipped by on Earth that they weren't going to get away with here in the Colonies. Duo spent several hours figuring out what degrees they had and which one's were really honorary. Heero spent an equal amount of time going over their school records for how many hours they had, what levels they were and what the actual grades were. It was looking fairly good.

Duo grumbled, he wasn't sure why Quatre was obsessed with a bunch of Ph.D.'s Most of the men with them were pure researchers. Most of the 'real world' work was done by people with Masters or Bachelors degrees. He really didn't want to write a Doctoral thesis. It was way too much work. They both needed to get into the field as soon as they could.

"Heero, I don't think this is going to work. We need to get to work, not be fucking around, writing papers. I've got one or two done. But I don't see us getting the paper Quatre wants us to."

Heero looked up from his computer and nodded. "Me neither. I think we can get away with Masters. You know, it's all about respect. Most of the people on Earth really don't get it. They were fairly far away from most of the fighting. Here in space it was always right in their faces."

Duo stretched, then winced. "I don't want to think about it any more. I want to take a walk."

"I'll get the chair. What grav do you want?"

"Forty percent? Can I do that?"

Heero consulted his notes. "Yeah, you're ready to move up if you want. I'd like to see you move a bit more quickly. I'll take you by the doctor'soffice on our way. I want him to look at your scar, see if it's healing like it should. Wanna take Binky?"

Duo smiled at the little dog, who was sacked out on her little bed. "No, poor thing's worn out. But she really loved all the attention. This petting thing is really helping everyone. I hate to take her away when we leave."

Heero shrugged. "We should do something about getting more dogs up here. And maybe some cats too. There's plenty in shelters, just going to waste. I'll check."

"Ok. After my walk. I'll help you. Maybe I could get in touch with the Colonial leaders and find out why there's no dogs here. Maybe there's a law or something. Oh, and speaking of law. Wufei's a judge? How's that work?"

Heero shook his head. "No idea. You could ask him. As to the dogs. I think it's a good idea for you to find out why there aren't any. I didn't think of there being a law or something. I'll see about getting some anyway while you see about the law. Now,off to the doctor."

Duo grumbled a bit but let Heero put him into the chair so they could go see him.

They talked idly as they travelled along the corridor. Duo was feeling stronger and a bit restless in his chair. He was ready to be well. Heero poked him on the shoulder. "No."

"Fuck."

"Sorry, but you're not well enough yet."

"I know. But ... I wanna be. I'm bored. I'm tired of lifting weights and stuff. I need inspiration."

"You need patience. That's what."

"Just about out of that. Quatre wants us to spend weeks testing for ... fucking paper. I don't think paper is what we need. We need rep, street cred, not papers. If it ain't paper money it ain't worth shit."

Heero nodded. "I think you're right. We're headed right for the same trap we fell into on Earth. Instead of making people accept us for who and what we are, we're standing around like little boy's waiting for recognition. That may be one of the reasons Quatre is having trouble."

"Could be."

"I think he needs to do one of two things. Either tell everyone, I'm the boss, you're not. Or he needs to just give up, let his sisters have it and move on."

"You know he's not going to do that. He's got it into his head that he's got to run WEI. Daddy wanted it. Sucks. Boy's going to run himself ragged over it."

"I think you're right. We should do something about it."

"You're right, but what?"

"I'm not sure, I'll think about it."

.

Duo finished redressing himself while the doctor consulted his notes. The man wouldn't say anything until he read the entire chart again. For the third time. Duo wondered if the man really remembered who he was at all.

"Well, I keep trying to figure out how you're doing this. You've healed twice as fast as you should have. It just doesn't make sense. There's some tests that I'd like to run. Science shouldn't be denied..."

Duo took the chart out of the man's hand, pointed to his name, occupation and part of the medical information.

"Look! Maxwell, Duo. Gundam Pilot. Received stem cells from Yuy, Heero. Packed stem cells. So back off. You're not running one more test. You'll sign off on me and let me out of this mess. Heero'll see to it that I do the proper exercises, even if I wouldn't do them on my own. I'm way too busy to mess with this shit. Get yourself together. Ok?"

The doctor looked at the information that Duo had pointed out and rubbed his chin. "I looked at that but it still doesn't make sense. I'd like to run those tests just to see what's going on. They won't take more than ... oh, four or five days. Um ... gun?"

Duo winked over the gunsight. "Yup, gun. You're not listening to me. I said no. What part of N and O didn't you understand?"

"Well, I don't think you're being very cooperative."

"Uh ... nope! Now sign the paper like a nice little physician."

The doctor signed the paper, protesting all the while. Duo just took the paper and headed for the door. He still needed his chair, his legs were still weak, but he wasn't coming back to this place again. He'd take care of himself, the doctor was way too busy trying to get him under a microscope. He wondered if the man was holding up his release because of it.

Duo knew that he still needed to be careful and listen to his therapists. Heero had made a surprisingly good therapist, he checked with the supervisor almost obsessively. So Duo gave his release to Heero with a grin that nearly split his face.

"Here, read it and ... no weep, the opposite of that. I hope."

Heero grinned and read. "Ok, so what's the real deal? Something, I can tell by the look in your eyes."

Duo just gave Heero the bare bones of the story which was enough to make him snarl. Duo just patted his arm and said, "Well, never mind him. If he gets to be too much of a problem, we'll just complain to management ... and Q. Now, I want to get back on my feet ASAP, but without hurting myself.So what's first."

Heero shook his head. "First, I give you an exam." Duo gave a crow of laughter. "A real one, you ass. Then I step up your training as far as you can stand. You'll be sore every night. But I want you back in top form PDQ."

"M-Kay. That's a go. I'm tired of this. So why did we put off the real deal so long."

Heero bopped Duo on the back of the head. "Because I wanted to make sure that you are really healed before I put a lot of stress on your back. Idiot." But his smile was loving so Duo just rubbed the back of his head, wincing broadly. "Drama queen."

"Who me? What makes you think that?"

"Oh, I donno. That phony face just now? Nah!"

They laughed together and headed for the gym. Heero revamping Duo's exercise routine as they went.

.

When they entered the gym, there was a new man on the desk. Duo sighed, the turnaround here was impossible. He wondered what was going on behind the scenes. He noticed that a lot of the positions seemed to be manned by new people. Duo hoped the nice Jim was ok.

"Maxwell, Duo. I just got released by my physician but I'm still going to have to do therapy for a while. Look up the records, will you?"

"Sure. I don't know, should I read up on you or just let your personal trainer do his job. Got a note here that says not to get too involved with your work outs." The man looked a bit puzzled by that.

Duo shook his head. "Don't know what that's about. I swear we don't bite. Heero's over there, checking out my machine. But this will probably be the last day I'm here. I'm moving up to 40. Heero says I'm ready."

The man finally made the connection that had been nagging at the back of his mind. "Heero? Maxwell? Oh, shit! You're two of the Gundam pilots. Holy fuck!"

Duo winced, the man's voice had gone shrill and was carrying all over the room. A few people looked up, but then went back to their workouts. Heero was looming up behind Duo in a second.

Heero's glare made the man gulp. "Will you keep your voice down? We don't need a bunch of sight seers hanging around. You have a name? Or do you answer to dumb fuck?"

Duo smacked Heero on the chest with the back of his hand. "Heero! Be nice. He was just surprised, right?" Duo glanced at the man. "And you do have a name, don't you? You're supposed to be wearing a badge."

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot it. My name is Sam."

"What happened to Jim?"

"He moved up a floor. We move around a bit so we don't get used to the same gravity all the time. Especially at the lower ones. Um... I'll just stay out of the way, why don't I? I'm sure you know what you're doing."

Heero snorted and tugged at Duo to head him toward a machine. Duo looked back at Sam, who still had a very red face. He felt a bit sorry for the man, but wished he'd not been quite so loud. Now nearly everyone in the room was sneaking glances at him.

It made him feel really uncomfortable. He knew that, with his braid and amethyst eyes, he stood out in a crowd, but he was good at avoiding attention. Having this many people know who he was and staring at him made his skin crawl. He wished they'd quit.

"Duo, pay attention!" Duo apologised and turned his attention to Heero. "I've got you set up for a full routine. Don't force yourself. You're not running from Oz so I don't want you hurting yourself, but I want to find out how your levels are progressing. If you've reached the proper point, we'll move to the next grav level. Different gym too."

Duo nodded and grimly set himself to finish his routine in the recommended time and with his vitals at the levels that would mean that he could move on. Heero smiled behind his back, he knew Duo.

.

"Ok, that's it. Let me check your pulse and respiration." Heero clipped a small monitor to Duo's ear to check his blood oxygen and sugar levels. He counted pulse and respiration simultaneously. Someone who could keep track of three different radios as well as all the visuals in a Gundam cockpit had no trouble doing that, as well as conversing. "Blood's good, plenty of oxy, sugar's a bit low, respiration good, pulse great. You're good to go. We'll sign in at the next level on Friday. Let's blow this pop stand."

Duo grinned, whooped and punched the air, when he checked out at sixty percent grav he could dump the chair completely. He was leaving it stationed at one end of the mall and walking to the other end, leaning on Heero's arm. Heero would then go back for his chair. He still had to stop to rest at least once and more often twice but he knew it was working out well. He felt more and more like himself every day.

"Great. Let's go to the mall. I want a treat. Ice cream, ok? It's good for me. It's got milk in it, right? And we can jack in at the net café and see if we can't find out more about the dogs and stuff."

"Ok, Duo, that's a good idea. I'll check the statutes for prohibitions. I don't remember reading about any, but it's a good idea to check before we make a lot of plans. We'll also have to figure out how to finance this. First, we make sure it's possible."

They headed for the mall, Duo in his chair, Heero striding along beside him, glaring at anyone who dared to move too slowly to get out of their way. It didn't hurt that Duo had a rather high BTU glare of his own. One he reserved for anyone who dared glare back at Heero.

They settled at a table and Duo grumbled, "I really don't like this. I hate leaving my chair. Someone could do something to it. Don't know why they would but ... just gives me the creeps."

Heero shrugged. "Well, what do you suggest we do with it?"

A man walking by just butted in on the conversation. It wasn't that uncommon on the station.

"What's the problem? Can I help?"

Duo just sighed. "You could give it a try. I'm supposed to walk. But I can't make it all the way across the mall at full-g. It takes a while, then Heero has to walk all the way back to get my chair. I don't like leaving it."

"Well, take it with."

Heero blinked. "I have to ... um ... excuse me while I wonder where my brains are."

Duo blinked too, then snorted. "Left them in your other pants. What's my excuse?"

"Brain injury."

The man just laughed and walked off, calling over his shoulder. "Forest, trees. Have a nice day."

Duo just sighed. "Ok, I'll take off my stupid hat now. You walk along with me, I'll push the chair. If I have trouble getting it to go, I'll figure out some sort of remote." Duo began to push the chair, heading for their favourite table at the internet café near the other end of the mall.

It took them almost twenty minutes to make it but Duo felt that he'd done well. "How's that?"

"Good. I want to check your vitals again." Duo held still while Heero did so.

"You have any idea how much better I'm doing?"

Heero just raised an eyebrow at Duo. "I have. You're doing very well. Increase in efficiency is 37.4. Very good. Especially since you're taking it easy."

Duo nodded. "Ok. Things are looking up. Since my back is healed now, I can workout a bit harder. I'm not going to work too much harder as there's not that much of a rush for me to be back in form. I'm going to syc and start finding out about the dogs."

"Ok. I'll be ready with my information in about ten minutes."

Duo glanced up from his monitor. "Ok. Give me a little longer. I want to find out how many dogs may be available. And cats. Can't leave out the kitties."

Heero smiled a bit, Duo looked so happy. He hadn't been lately. Heero knew that Duo wasn't a complainer by any means, in fact he'd never complain at all. Bitch like a bandit, yes, scream and yell, swear too. But never really let it all be too much. Duo was strong, sometimes too strong. But, now that he was beginning to really heal and get back his strength, he looked happy again. Heero returned to his research, content.

It didn't take them long to finish their researches. Heero found out that there was no legal reason that they couldn't import as many dogs as they wanted. There were a few statutes on the books about dogs, but all of them were about keeping them under control, leash laws and cleaning up after them. He decided to see about building several dog parks and other facilities for them.

Duo found out that there were hundreds of shelters on Earth that had pets begging for homes.

Duo was just leaning back to stretch when three people sat down at a table nearby.

"That was fun. I miss having a pet. Wish we could have one here."

"I love that little dog. Too bad we can't get another appointment sooner."

The third speaker turned out to be a woman. "Yeah, but we'd wear the poor thing out. She's a good dog. Played with us so nice. But she was tired by the time we were done. Can't work a dog like that too hard. Make's 'em sick."

The dark haired man replied, "Yeah, glad to see that they give her a good rest between appointments. It's just that it really limits the number of people who can see her in a day. But it would be selfish to work her any harder. Just wish there were more dogs up here. There's only about three or four on the whole station. It's just too expensive to bring them up. Quarantine and all that."

Duo turned around and butted in, cheerfully asking, "Why quarantine them on this end? That doesn't make sense."

"Hey! No damn idea. Just the rules, ya know? You're the guy that owns Binky."

Duo admitted that he was. He also told the three about his idea to bring up dogs and cats. All three people thought it would be a good idea. They also thought that anyone wanting a pet ought to have to pass a test and take classes on how to care for them. Most of the people on the station were spacers or colony born and many of them had no idea at all how to care for an animal.

Heero silently made notes while Duo gossiped with the three. Most of what they said made sense, the rest he was taking under advisement. From whom he wasn't sure yet.

.

Heero settled into the chair again, he'd gotten up to shake hands with their three advisors. Duo had stayed seated, admitting that it was still a little painful to get up from a seated position.

"I didn't know that. Why don't you tell me these things?"

"Didn't want to worry you. Thought it'd go away sooner or later."

"Sooner, now that I know you're having pain. I'll research what exercises you should do to strengthen the muscles. Now, though, I'm going to check on the regulations for importing animals. There's no reason that people on the station shouldn't have dogs, cats or small rodents that I can find. Although, I think rodents are a bad idea. They get out and there's a problem as they breed like...rabbits. Do not snicker at me."

But Duo did, in fact, he cracked up. After he was done laughing, he announced that they could always 'fix' rodents.

Heero announced that that wasn't practical, due to the small size and short life of the individuals. He finished by saying, "and I don't see how they can call it fixing, it's more like breaking, don't you think?"

Duo agreed then cracked up again. Heero just smiled a bit. He was glad to see that Duo's sense of humor still hadn't deserted him.

They both jumped when their phones went off at the same time, then they laughed and answered. Quatre's number showed on both their phones. Trowa always made calls to them Conference calls so they could all talk together. Message passing usually led to confusion of one kind or another.

"Conference call from Mr. Winner, please be ready in ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one."

"Hey! What are you two up to? I've gotten some interesting communiques from the Station Head. Something about you asking about laws about pets?"

Duo blinked for a second then just announced. "We're trying to find out why there aren't any pets on the station. There doesn't seem to be a reg or statute against it. So why not?"

"Don't know. Heero on it?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. There's pets going begging on Earth, so why can't we bring them up here?"

You could practically hear Quatre's mind working. "Don't know. Get Wufei to do the legal research for you. He needs something to do beside study. I have another call. Bye."

Duo blinked at Heero for a second. "Something's up with him. He usually isn't this busy. This colony is going to kill him if he doesn't slow down."

Heero nodded. "While you were ill, we didn't say much, but he's really working himself too hard. Trowa is as frantic as he ever gets. I'd like to grab Quatre and drag him off somewhere quiet for a while."

Duo thought for a while as he continued his research.

"I think ... he's up to something. Something ..." Duo trailed off, biting at his lip. Heero just nodded.

.

It took them a few days to get everything lined out. The station administrator answered their question with a simple memo. He told them that the only reason there were no pets on the station was that no one had ever asked to have one. He also stated that, if they wanted to pay the freight, there was no reason they couldn't bring up as many cats and dogs as they wanted to. They were, however, told firmly that no rodents of any variety would be allowed. Gnawing habits might cause problems that they didn't want to deal with. Cats were encouraged.

They would be responsible for all the arrangements, but the station would do the interviews for ownership. They had the records of everyone on the station. A psychologist had final approval. Heero thought that was a good idea, Duo just shook his head.

Duo started making arrangements to bring up every cat and dog he could manage. Heero searched for some place to put them until they were adopted.

Duo got hold of every cat, dog, and bird in twenty cities around the world. He made arrangements with several of WEI's subsidiary carriers to pick them up and bring them to the station, in several shipments so that the facilities Heero was arranging wouldn't be overloaded

Heero found several loading docks for rent. He rented them after making sure that they were suitable for short term housing for animals. He also hired several people for each dock, people who would see to the feeding, watering, and exercising of the animals until they were taken away. To good homes, Duo would make sure of that.

Heero threw himself into the arrangements with his usual efficiency. Duo was happy, he was recovering more quickly than the doctors expected, much to Heero's pleasure and fiddling with this was keeping him distracted from the aches and pains of his recovery.

Duo surreptitiously checked his file. He was sore most of the time, but he expected that. He wanted to see how he was doing against Heero's projections. After reviewing the file he decided that he was really 'exceeding expectations' as Heero had said. He also decided that he was going to demand more massages. He liked Heero's massages, they felt so good, sooner or later they were going to lead to more good things. Duo was going to see to that, as soon as he was sure his back was up to it.

.

Heero checked his data again and smiled. "Well, looks like you're ready to move from forty percent to sixty. You can skip fifty percent altogether. And you're ready to go on a tread mill as well."

Duo grinned, whooped and punched the air. "Yes! Yes, yes. Yay! Sixty percent, here I come. Heero, you know what this means?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"It means that I can finally visit the new animals. I've been wanting to see the docks where they are and make sure that they're up to par. I know that Trowa inspected them himself but ... um ... I just wanna see for myself. You know?"

Heero nodded. "I do. We can go now, if you like."

"I like. Let's go."

Heero handed Duo a cane. Duo took it, grinned and started out the door.

"We've been importing animals for the last three weeks. And we've sent over five hundred out into the population. So far, we're doing very well. We bringing Binky?"

Heero shook his head. "No. I don't want to be distracted by her just now. Poor little girl is resting anyway. We need to cut back on her appointments."

"We could have appointments with some of the new animals. And testing is taking too long. We need to speed that up. One way to speed things up is to let animal and person bond during a petting session." Duo grinned suddenly and announced. "And that just sounds dirty."

Heero snickered. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"I do, but it just falls right back in again." Heero smacked Duo on the back of the head. "Hey!"

"Baka."

Duo gave him the 'raspberry'.

.

Duo glanced around the large bay and nodded. The cages were set up around the perimeter of the bay in three ranks. Each one placed so that the animals wouldn't defecate on each other. The room smelled slightly of animal and much more heavily of disinfectant and soap. The floor was spotless.

"Very nice. Clean. I don't like seeing all the animals caged. Shouldn't they be out on the floor?"

Heero just shrugged. "Don't know. Never had much contact with any kind of animal."

Footsteps made them turn. "Hi. I'm sorry. You can't come in here without an authorization. I know you'd like a pet but you have to go to the sign up office. Here's a card with the address."

Duo smiled at the man. He'd hired most of the staff sight unseen, a recommendation from the employment office and a psych exam enough for him.

"Thanks. But we've got authorization." Duo fished in his pocket and produced his ID. "Here."

"Oh, thanks. Um ... Mr. Maxwell! Man. Glad to meet you. Come into the office."

Heero followed Duo into the office and accepted the cup of coffee the man offered.

"I'm Argus Flint. I'm head honcho around here. Sort of. Mr. Yuy, I got the memo. Everything is up to par. I checked the tracts you suggested."

Heero just nodded and waited for Duo to get his coffee.

When Duo settled in a chair the man continued, "We keep all the animals penned to avoid fighting, but each animal gets at least three hours out on the floor. We've managed to find compatible combinations. Dogs that don't fight with each other and cats that ... coexist. And we clean the floor between each group so that they won't spread any diseases they might have. So far we haven't had any sick animals. The Earth side team has done a really good job. So ... do you have any questions?"

Duo shook his head as Heero just finished his coffee and stood up. He said, "I'd like to take a look at the facility, please. Duo, do you want to come with me or sit here?"

"I'll come. I want a look too. It looks good but I'd be less than thorough if I didn't."

Argus led them out onto the floor without complaint.

They were immediately inundated by a flood of animals. Every dog in the room rushed up to them, begging to be petted. Duo just sat down on the floor and obliged every animal that he could manage. Heero took a place a bit away from Duo and did the same.

Several people in the room looked at the smiling boys and had to smile back.

Duo finally managed to calm the excited animals near him and get back to the task at hand. They wandered around the tiers, examining cages, petting the animals and in general poking into everything.

"Well?" Duo met Heero on the top tier.

Heero nodded his approval. "Clean, neat, animals in good condition. Exactly as Trowa said."

"Good. I found the same things. Do you want to examine the other facilities or do you think this is enough?"

Duo thought a moment, he was still a bit weak and sore and really didn't want to exhaust himself. "Is Argus over all the facilities or just this on?"

"All of them." Heero absently checked Duo's pulse.

"Well, if he's over all of them, I don't think we need to see them all. He's really doing a good job."

"Ok. Let's go to the mall and take your walk."

"Fine. We should have a word or two with the people first. Tell them they're doing a good job, all that."

Heero just nodded and went to find Argus.

.

Quatre sighed, rubbed his face and returned to the report. He was very tired and really wanted to go home and slide into bed with Trowa. He was too tired for sex but just being held was good.

Instead he had to finish this report and decide what to do about credentials for all of them. They needed 'street cred' as Duo called it and the only way he could see to have it was by proving that they had what it took. In other words, they needed Ph.D.'s in as many fields as possible.

He looked up as Trowa came into the office.

"Tro' love, what time is it?"

"Late. Come to bed. You'll be too tired to make sense of any of that soon. And you haven't eaten all day. Come on. I've got a tray." Trowa didn't allow Quatre to argue with him, he just pulled the report out of his hands, dropped it on the desk and dragged Quatre behind him.

"But, Trowa, I have to finish reading that!"

"No, you don't. If you're supposed to have a meeting, cancel it. You're the boss. I know you're father didn't wear himself out like this."

"I'm not my father. I have to prove myself ..."

Trowa interrupted Quatre softly. "No you don't. You're a Gundam pilot and god help the man who really forgets that. Remember it yourself. Stand up to those men and tell them the truth. You're not your father, you need to delegate and you won't stand for them going behind your back for any reason. You need to fire the worst offenders to get the attention of the rest. Now, Meli, we're going to eat, sleep, get up late and take a day off. No arguments."

Quatre sighed, "Fine. And I do see the sense in what you're saying. I'm too tired to argue anyway. I'll think about all this tomorrow. And I want your input on who I should fire. You're not right in the middle of it like I am. And I think I want Wufei, Heero, and Duo's input too. But I'll call them in the morning."

They wandered down the hall to the bedroom, Trowa nearly carrying Quatre.

They made it through the tray of cheese, fruit and bread before Quatre fell asleep on Trowa's shoulder. Trowa just settled Quatre more comfortably and lay down beside him. He'd be much more careful of Quatre from now on. He couldn't work in this exhausted state. Not and do anyone any real good.

.

Wufei looked as tired as he felt. He was studying laws, and all he could think was the whole thing was too complicated. There were too many loop holes, contradictions and just plain idiocy.

He looked his notes over and thought to himself that he could come up with a better code of law all by himself. He stared into space for a moment then started writing.

He wrote for over two hours, read his notes then locked them into his desk. He had a meeting with several of the men he was interviewing for places in the legal system of Mina Hurr he was really thinking of revising the judicial system quite a bit. He'd have to speak to Quatre before making any firm decisions. Then he froze in place for a moment. The entire colony was a private holding, this put an entirely different spin on things.

His meeting didn't go well. He was disgusted to find that, of the six men present, only two could see beyond his age to his position. He'd finally had to tell the four men to leave the restaurant before he did something regrettable. The one who had argued needed a bit of help from one of the other men to get to the door.

Wufei checked several books and found that his idea was legal within ESUN. If Mina Hurr, as private property and an independent legal entity, chose to make its own laws, they could. He smiled to himself and decided that this would take quite a weight off Quatre's shoulders. And make Duo howl with laughter. He finished his notes and gave them to a woman from the secretarial pool to type up.

.

Milliardo Peacecraft, A.K.A. Zechs Merquise, sighed softly. He'd been asked to be a liaison officer for Mina Hurr so he was now reading everything he could get his hands on about the new colony. He was impressed with the scope of Quatre's ambitions and a bit intimidated. He decided that he needed to speak to Quatre so he called his number. The answering machine took the call. Milliardo snarled softly. This was one of the things that annoyed everyone. No one seemed to be on any regular schedule. It was hard to do much when everyone was sleeping, eating and working on different shifts.

He sighed and returned to his reading with a heavy heart and a thumping head ache. He really just wanted to cuddle with Wufei but his lover was busy too.

He finished reading the last report of the day and closed the folder, tossing it aside. He stretched and sighed again. He was going home to Wufei and taking him out to supper, whether he wanted to go or not. Milliardo was tired of reading, tired of missing Wufei and tired of being tired.

He stood up and put on his jacket. His long strides carried him quickly to the rooms he shared with Wufei.

He found Wufei with his nose in a book, as usual.

"'Fei, I'm tired of this."

Wufei looked up from his reading. "Tired of what, exactly?" His words were sharp but his smile was gentle.

"Tired of us not doing anything fun. I've been in my office, reading reports and..." He waved a hand. "All sorts of ... rot. And you've been in your office with your nose in a book. It's been ... three weeks?"

Wufei nodded. "About that. Since Duo got hurt. Come on then. What do you want to do?"

"I just want to go out to supper. Have a nice meal, sit and talk over coffee and brandy. It's not too much to ask, is it?"

"No. I'm in the mood for something like that myself. When we get over to Mina Hurr, such things are going to be hard to come by. We should make the most of the facilities here while we can. I've come to some decisions and I want to discuss them with you. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind. And by the look in your eyes, I'll find your conversation fascinating. Come on, let's get into something a little nicer and see where we can get reservations."

Wufei stretched when he stood up. His back was hurting from stooping over books for so long. Milliardo grinned at him.

"I'll take care of that later. Tit for tat. My back's killing me. I think who ever chose that chair has to be really short. And I can't figure out how to adjust it. It's killing me."

Wufei snorted. "I'll drop by in the morning and fix it for you. For someone who can fix a gundam, you're impossible with simplemachinery. Dork."

Milliardo grinned over his shoulder as he led Wufei down the hall to the bedroom. "Yup, never was much good with office furniture. Noin used to laugh at me. Wonder how she's doing?" He opened his closet and pulled out a shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of pale cream trousers. "I haven't heard from her since she Dear Johned me. Here, wear this? I love the way you look in it. Please?"

Wufei accepted the dark royal blue loose trousers and Mandarin collared jacket embroidered with phoenixes. "Thank you. I'm glad you like these. They're like a set that Melan gave me. They were destroyed when the colony self destructed. Quatre had these made from a description I gave him during the wars."

Milliardo zipped his trousers and leaned over to tap at the computer on the small desk by the door. "Hmmmm. We can get a reservation at the Skyline. It's ... twelve degrees, two levels and a corridor away. Take us about thirty minutes. Seven?"

Wufei nodded. "Good. That'll give us time to make it an easy walk, instead of a frantic sprint. I feel like I've run from one end to the other like ... some sort of ... I'm not sure what. I'm tired of rushing."

"Me too. We'll take a nice walk in that pocket park down the main section corridor after. If you like, that is." Milliardo picked up a brush and started brushing the tangles out of his hair before braiding it.

"Sounds nice. There are pocket parks all over this station and plants in most of the malls. Very nice. I'll miss them."

"Me too. But it takes years to bring up enough soil to make them. We'll have to plan visits to nearby colonies for breaks. I just can't do without something green once in a while. I'll go stir crazy."

Wufei nodded his agreement and took the brush from Milliardo. "Thanks. We could get you a small green house. Bring up some of your orchids. That would be something."

Milliardo brightened. "Yes, and I'll bring them up at my own expense. There shouldn't be any complaints that way."

"Good. I'm ready. Let's be on our way."

Milliardo followed Wufei down the hall, watching his backside sway in those silky trousers. He also noticed that Wufei's hair was much longer and thicker now. He smiled at his lover's retreating back.

.

They made it to the restaurant with time to spare so they decided to go to the bar and have a drink.

The bar was very nice, quiet, a bit dim and full of Gundam pilots. Wufei poked Milliardo and laughed.

"Well, there goes our nice quiet meal. Duo will see to that." But he called to Duo and Heero then walked over to the table with a smile on his face.

Duo stood up to shake hands with Milliardo. "Hi. We're waiting on Quatre and Trowa. Looks like a pilot reunion. So, how's tricks? And how the hell do you wind up a judge. 'Fei, not that I'm knocking your accomplishments or anything but. ... wow. So, tell."

Wufei laughed back and explained that Quatre had had trouble with every single man he'd tried so he'd dumped it on Wufei. Not that he minded, he was fascinated by the idea of being head judge.

"That means that I'm responsible for creating the laws for the colony. This isn't a democracy more like a benign dictatorship, with Quatre as the dictator. I was going to have a bit of something worked out before I said much but this is too good a chance to pass up." Milliardo frowned at him. "I'm sorry. I know that I said this was going to be a relaxing evening but if I can get Quatre's ear tonight it'll save me hours of work that I have to discard if he doesn't like the idea. So ... just a few moments then it's all over. I swear." Milliardo gave him a skeptical look but refrained from making a fuss. It wouldn't do him any good and he knew it. Besides he wanted to hear what Wufei was doing. And he knew that Duo and Heero would have interesting input. It looked like the evening was going to be lively, to say the least.

They were only half way through their first drinks when Quatre and Trowa hurried in.

Quatre flopped gracelessly into a chair and demanded. "Wine! Something sweet and fruity."

Trowa smiled but took scotch neat. Duo saluted Quatre with his beer while Heero just sipped at his rum andcoke. Wufei and Milliardo both were drinking Chardonnay. The bar tender had asked for ID but when he saw it, he wished he hadn't. Not that they looked like they were going to cause trouble but they made him nervous. The only thing they did was change their reservations to a table for six.

They confined themselves to talk of their day until they were seated. Duo told everyone about his progress, complained about the cane and Heero's 'cruelty' in making him use it. Heero just shrugged and smiled, remarking, "I'm so cruel. I don't want you slipping and undoing all your work. You see what my day was like." Duo threw a sugar packet at him making everyone laugh.

Trowa and Quatre both had the same complaint, no one listened to them, every single executive seemed to think they knew better than the owner. They also seemed to think that repetition would convince Quatre of the correctness of their thoughts, or shouting. Wufei and Milliardo explained their reading but refrained from going into details.

They finished their first drinks and were just getting ready to order second one's when the host came and told them that their table was ready. He got them seated and handed out menus.

"I'll return in a few minutes to take your orders, shall I? Would you like to place a drink order now or wait?"

They decided on now and ordered a bottle of wine for the whole table. Wine and glasses arrived in moments.

Quatre poured a glass for each of them and passed them around. "Now, no business at dinner. It'll just upset our stomachs. Or mine at any rate. I'm sick of being put down by my ... inferiors. Or should I say subordinates? Anyway, I'm tired of it."

Milliardo sighed, "I'm tired of trying to read all those ... I'm not sure exactly what they are. They're supposed to be news releases about construction of the colony but they read more like scientific papers. No one I know, outside of us, would understand half of them. The publicity department is in despair, with good reason."

Trowa laughed, nodded to Quatre and said, "I told you so. Why don't you have Milliardo write a proper publicity release and get that over with?"

"Because I never thought of it. I was going to write one myself, when I could get around to it."

Duo yelped. "Dammit, Quatre, hire a staff then let them sit around on their hands why don't you? You got to let go. Make people do stuff for you. Delegate. You'll go round the bend if you don't."

Trowa nodded in agreement and Milliardo made a mental note to start on the release tomorrow.

Heero took his turn and dropped a real bomb in the middle of the table. "I've been checking who has credits enough to be granted the Ph.D's that you want. I've got a question though. Duo and I both wonder why you want us to have degrees that are practically guaranteed to put us on the opposite side of the argument from the construction crews. They don't care about paper. It's street cred, as Duo says, that means the most to them. A Master's is good enough for them and we've got credits enough for several all we have to do is submit a dissertation, how we managed to collect enough hours in so many subjects, I have no idea."

Wufei cleared his throat, everyone looked at him. "I think it's a natural outcome of our curiosity. We all seem to take courses in something just because we're curious about it. Thus, we wind up with credit in all sorts of things."

Duo snorted, "Yeah, and I've even got a magister scientiæ, of all things, in calculous. How the hell did I manage that?"

Heero shrugged. "I saw that you had the credits and had written a dissertation for some reason. So I submitted it." he looked around at the surprised faces. "What? I was bored."

Duo looked puzzled for a moment then asked, "Dissertation?What dissertation?" Heero started to speak but Duo cut him off unintentionally. "The only thing any where near such a thing was that thing I wrote when ... what's his name? That quack that wrote something about creating an L-6 system. L-6? I ask you. Had to write something to prove to the idiot that there's only five LaGrange points and always will be only five. That?"

"Yes, and it was very good. It was accepted with some interest. I've got the letters. I was going to show them to you sooner but I decided that they'd only distract you."

Duo flapped a hand. "Not like I really care about that anyway. But so .. Quatre? You've got that look on your face."

"Yes, I'm thinking." Quatre blessed Heero with one of his brilliant smiles. "You've actually asked a good question. I've been obsessed with proving our worth, in the wrong way. Actions speak much more loudly than words. A thing I seem to have forgotten for some reason I don't remember." He made a face then smiled at the server.

They placed their orders and settled in to discus what degrees they really needed and who could get what quickest. Heero had all the figures in his head, of course. They decided to apply for what they could get with what credits they had and Quatre announced that, since Heero had all the data compiled, he could just do it for them. Heero nodded his agreement, telling the table that he'd let each one of them know what dissertations they needed to write. There were several groans.

The food came at the end of that discussion and they settled in to eat, talking about general topics for most of the meal. Then Wufei dropped his bomb.

"I've been thinking. We've already had some trouble with legal tangles on the colony. No one seems to be able to codify the law. So ... why don't we just make our own?"

The silence was sudden and absolute.


	4. Chapter 4

Building A New Life 4

Building A New Life 4

Wufei rubbed his eyes wearily. He had been working on the Declaration of Independence and the Civil Codes for lack of a better term. He'd reviewed ESUN's legal codes and legislative systems and realized that they were built on older systems. Statutes contradicted each other and there were loop holes all over. Starting fresh was looking better and better. He just hoped his team caught any loop holes he left. He stopped rubbing for a moment as he realized that he was head of a legal team composed of some of the most brilliant legal minds of the age. He set his work aside, it wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. He started outlining what the new legal system should do. He'd leave the actual Civil Codes to the experts.

He looked up several hours later to see Milliardo standing in the door. "Come away, 'Fei. You've been at this for hours. You need to rest or you won't be any use to anyone."

Wufei yawned, stretched and agreed with Milliardo. "Ok, I'm tired and I know I need to rest. How do you feel about corporal punishment?"

Milliardo almost ignored this question as the bags and circles decorating Wufei's eyes told their story. "Not fond of it. Come to bed."

Wufei blinked. "I thought."

Milliardo grinned at Wufei. "That's an entirely different bred of cats. And you know it."

"I'm too tired for this." Wufei sighed wearily.

"I can tell. Come on. I've got a nice meal in our quarters and then I'm putting you to bed." Milliardo smiled at Wufei gently. "Why don't you write up notes and give them to your think tank?"

"What do you think I've been doing for the last few hours? I finally got my head out of my ass and used it for what it was meant for. I'm not going to try to handle it by myself. I'm just writing a general out line and I have the final veto. Why have a legal team that's the dream of most colonies and ignore it?"

"Haven't a clue." Milliardo put his arm around Wufei and let him lean against his torso. "Just do your best, turn everything over to your team and wait for results."

"I will. Bed now? I'm so tired I'm getting silly."

"Food, bed. In that order, coming right up."

Wufei let Milliardo take care of him.

O

Heero examined the results of Duo's last series of tests and smiled. One of his rare, sweet, real smiles. Duo was healed. He'd healed much faster than the doctors had thought he would, mostly due to Heero's stem cells and the tinkering the professors had foisted on him during his training. Although, Heero had to admit, Duo's stubbornness had helped considerably.

Duo had only skipped his therapy once, when an emergency had come up in the animal import operation. He'd skipped to get that straightened out and tried to make up for it the next day. Heero hadn't let him as it would only have done him more harm than good.

"Well, it seems that I've lost a patient and regained a lover. You're 100, love."

Duo grinned at him and stretched carefully. "I feel well. I still have a bit of a limp, when will that go away?"

"Soon. It's just a residual effect. A bit more therapy will get rid of it. All in all, however, you're good to go. So, where do you want to go?"

Duo considered for a moment then announced in a determined tone, "Out-side."

Heero just nodded, he'd thought that Duo would like a walk. "Ok. I made arrangements for suits, ours are still in our Gundams. I know you hate strange suits, so do I, but if you want to go out-side, you'll have to wear one."

Duo didn't bother to object, he wanted to go very badly. "Ok, just as long as I get to go over the suit myself."

Heero just grinned. "After I go over it first."

Duo laughed and tugged on Heero's hand. "Let's get going then."

O

Their arrival at the Out-side port was greeted with what amounted to indifference. Duo quickly realized that Heero had made them an appointment with a tourist trap outfit. He had to laugh at that, it nearly guaranteed them anonymity.

While Heero was checking them in, Duo looked around.

The bay was neat, clean and well organized. The suits were all in special racks that made it easy for inexperienced people to get into them. He also noticed several people in uniforms walking around the area, obviously checking to make sure that the few people who were suiting up got everything sealed up properly and all the attachments activated.

Heero finished checking in and looked around to find Duo. He had to smile when he saw where Duo was.

Duo was standing in front of the large view port, watching the shuttles and space ships moving around the colony. Heero joined him, wrapping his arms around Duo's waist. They watched until their names were called.

"Well, that's us. Love, don't cause a scene, these poor guys have their jobs to do. We don't need their help but if we refuse some ass will assume that they don't need it either." Heero snorted softly into Duo's ear. "Well, it's true, you know it is."

"Yes, it's true. And I'll just look at it like this. I never had a suit handler but I always wanted one. As long as they don't object to me inspecting both suits we'll be ok."

"Same here. We better go, they'll be passing off our reservation if we don't."

They found their suit bay by the flashing light over the top of it. It didn't take more than a moment for them to walk over to the area.

They were met by a man with sergeant's stripes on his sleeve. "Maxwell and Yuy?" They nodded. "This way. I've got a whole lecture I have to give you. I can tell you don't need it but it's the rules. Or I can give you a hand out, if you promise to really read it."

Duo held out his hand with Heero a second behind. "My name is Sergeant Matthew. Please do not call me sarge, I hate that."

Heero nodded absently as he scanned the handout. It was standard precautions for Out-side maneuvering with a few special one's aimed at inexperienced tourists. Rules like not unhooking from the group tether, or fooling with the backpack. Duo just scanned the rules even quicker then snorted.

"Ok, now that that's over, I'd like to examine my suit, please."

Sergeant Matthew blinked for a second. "That's different. Did you read the rules? That was awful fast."

"I read real quick. So does Heero." Duo turned to Heero. "What's the hold up?"

"Nothing. I just thought I'd let you deal with the sergeant, I don't want to scare him."

"Well, son, I don't think ... um." Heero pinned the sergeant with one of his cold glares. "Ok, I'm officially worried. Where the hell did you learn that glare"

"Oden Lowe. I want to look over both suits. I don't care about your rules, I'm not trusting my life ... or his, to a suit I haven't looked over myself."

Sergeant Matthew shrugged, he wasn't used to this but if the kid thought he knew what he was doing, let him do it. It could turn out to be amusing.

Each suit had a complete crew of it's own, or each bay, neither Duo nor Heero was sure which and it didn't make much difference. They each had a crew of four people to help them on with the OSW suits. Duo snorted and mumbled to Heero, "And why they don't just call them out-side Walk suits, I don't know."

"Acronyms just sound so much more official than space suits."

Heero took one of the suits off its rack while Duo took the other. A smallish woman from one of the crews reached over to pat Duo on the shoulder. "Don't worry, honey, we really check them over good. We wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

Duo looked up from his examination of one of the seams. "That's good, but I think I'd rather double check than find out that someone missed something. That's why skydivers still pack their own 'chutes."

The woman just laughed. "And would you know something wrong if you saw it?"

Heero just handed her the suit he was examining. "Yes, we would. This one has a sprung seam." He pointed to the seam in question.

It wasn't sprung much, just enough that, if it was stressed any, the suit might blow out. And when that was the only thing between you and cold space, might was a very big thing.

"Well, slap my ass and call me Mary. Even though my name is Helen. That's not good. I'll pull that suit and get out another. Excuse me." She hurried away, returning in a few minutes driving a suit mover with a rack of suits hanging from the hook. She parked up at the head of the bay and used a hydraulic arm to put a suit on the rack and another on the floor.

Heero took the new suit back to the work table and started going over it. One of the tenders assigned to the bay came over to help him. His glower set the man back a bit but he stuck to his job, rather grimly it was true. Heero asked for a tool once and was handed the item at once.

Duo was still checking over the suit he'd taken. His frown indicated complete concentration. He also had help from the professional crew, a couple of who actually recognized him.

Duo looked over at Heero. "How's it going? This one's good to go. Full tanks, electronics perfect, seams tight. Clean an' sweet."

"I'm still checking this one. Almost done. Looks good so far, but after that last one, I'm not taking any chances. It'll be a bit."

"Don't rush on my account, lover. I'll just sit here and admire your magnificent a ... abs."

Heero snorted softly, he knew what Duo had been about to say, as did everyone else around. Duo laughed softly. "Little pitchers have big ears." He pointed to a group of children standing nearby. The crew-members either laughed or smiled. They were used to being careful of their remarks, it amused them that the two Gundam pilots were so aware of children.

Heero went back to his suit check while everyone in both crews stood around admiring his efficient motions. It didn't take him long to finish his work. "Ok, this suit is right and tight. I'll take it."

There were a few laughs as the people who knew who the two men were had kept their mouths shut. They realized that the pair needed privacy and recreation, not smothering fans.

"Ok then. We'll get you suited up and on your way. A guide will be provided, because it's a station regulation. Unless you've passed the EVA test administered by this station, you have to have a certified guide."

Heero just nodded, Duo didn't even bother, he headed straight for his suit and started the process of wriggling into the thing.

The first thing they had to do was get dressed in the tight under suit that protected them from chafing at the pressure points. This was fairly easy as they were more than familiar with them and they all worked the same, strip, stretch the neck, wriggle in and zip it across the shoulders. It helped that the handlers were used to strange, naked people. One of the handlers had to stop them from stripping off in the bay.

"No! Not here, silly. We have cubicles in the back for that. Little pitchers, incase you've forgotten."

Duo laughed like a loon, Heero blushed slightly. They went to the back, got into the suits and returned to the bay, ready to don the space suits.

The rest of the handlers had done their jobs, making sure, even though Heero and Duo and already done it, that the suits were ready for the Out-side walk. Now it was time to get the men into the suits. This was easier than expected as they already had experience in getting into the suits. Heero had no trouble at all, he squeezed into the suit in record time and turned to check on Duo. He was having a bit harder time than he liked, he still had to take some care with his back, twisting a certain way hurt. His handlers eased him into his suit and 'buttoned' him up.

Heero initiated the com check with a simple and startling, "01 to 02, reply please."

"02 to 01, copy that ... Com check to control. 02 to control."

The reply was simple too. "Com is designated as T-EVA 2. I read you 02."

"01 to T-EVA 2. Check."

"T-EVA 2 to 01, check acknowledged. Read you both loud and clear. Do you know the click code?"

Two yeses answered him and he cleared them for out-side walk.

Heero walked behind Duo, watching him move in his suit. He moved easily, confidently, so Heero relaxed. This was going to be fun. A walk on the out-side of a station or colony was an amazing thing. You could see the stars, shuttles, ships and other people so clearly without the thick plexiglass causing distortions. It was nice to be able to do it without some chore or other to worry about. This was going to be just for the fun of gawking like tourists.

One of the interesting things about this bay was, the exit. Tourists were notoriously bad at using pressure locks, they didn't understand how they worked and would try to open one door or the other before the pressure was equalized. This caused all sorts of problems, including explosive decompression. The station was equipped with state of the art 'step through' shields. All that was needed to get out-side was a small controller and some nerve, you activated the control and just stepped through the shield as if it wasn't there, the air stayed in-side and you got out-side. No fuss, no muss, no panic.

Duo loved it, Heero thought it was very efficient, he decide to find out where the shields came from, he had some ideas for Mina Hurr.

After they stepped through the shield they were clipped to a tether and to their guide, he explained the rules again and started them around the gradual curve of the station. As they walked, Malcolm pointed and talked. He told them the names of the huge cruisers and barges tethered to the colony by enormous tubes and cables. He also pointed out other bays and told them about the companies who owned them and what they did. Heero noted details without thinking about it. Duo just gawked like a tourist. Heero found that amusing.

Duo touched the mic toggle with his chin and said, "Look, they look like a giant centipede!" Heero looked where Duo was pointing and saw a group of tourists walking over the curve of the station. They did look like a giant bug with many legs. Each suit was attached to the tether with a short cable and there were handles on it for extra security, for the tourists, not the suit. Everyone seemed to be clinging to the handles and they shuffled along, carefully not breaking the magnetic contact for a second. Duo couldn't help snickering. Heero laughed outright.

"Don't be mean, they're probably scared half to death. We even get a heart attack once in a while." Their guide tugged them in the direction of the crawling group. "Let's go over, if you don't mind. I think that's my friend Mat. He'll get a kick out of meeting you."

Duo touched helmets with Heero. "Ok? I think it'll be fun."

"Sure. I don't see any harm." Heero toggled his mic. "Sure. Let's go."

They walked at an angle to intercept the group moving much faster than them. Malcolm spoke to the other guide as soon as they were in short range capability and found out that the other guide was his friend, who was delighted to talk to Malcolm. Because the short range radio was a different frequency than the tour group or cen com, Heero and Duo could hear what was being said.

"Hey, Mat, got two good one's, really know what they're doing. How's your group?"

"Mal, lucky sod that you are. My group ... well, let's just say, I wish them well. And that they never set foot out-side again. At least not on my watch. Bunch of idiots. all they've done so far is complain, tangle the tethers and trip over every crack and bump. I swear, I don't know why they let some of these people out-side at all."

"Man, that's bad luck. You need help?"

Heero's eyes met Duo's through the faceplates.

"No, it's just the same ol' same ol'. But I swear, if I get one more idiot who asks me if I know who they are, I'm gonna scream. I don't care who they are, all I know is they're trouble."

Heero had to stick his two cents worth in. "Well, I like that! Do you know who I am?" The surprised laugh was everything he'd hoped for. Duo laughed so hard he doubled up, the two guides steadying him, or hanging on, Heero wasn't too sure.

The reply was nearly smothered in laughter. "No, I don't and I really don't care. Wanna join the tour for a while? We got permission to go see the new dish installation."

After a quick consultation they decided to join the group.

The group, who had been waiting patiently, were informed that they would have two additions as well as an extra guide. No one objected so they shuffled on their way.

Duo wondered why he couldn't hear the tourists, he knew a group that large had to have at least one big mouth in it. "Malcolm, why don't we hear anyone talking?"

"A group that big is usually on a need to talk circuit. We'd go out of our minds if we had to listen to all the chit-chat. Cen-com has each tour group on a separate frequency and watch-dogs it, replying to comments and questions. The tour guide gives his talks on a common frequency and Cen-com tells him if he needs to talk to someone. It's a bit complicated but it works."

Duo got a crawling feeling on the back of his neck. "So, why are we talking to each other so easily?"

"Small group. We're in direct com because Cen-com set it up that way. It has something to do with manual switching and computer relays, but I don't understand it. As long as it works, who cares, and if it stops working, what am I supposed to do about it from here?"

Heero just gave one of his noncommittal grunts. Duo didn't say much, he just started to worry.

Theywalked for a bit, Mat gave a small talk about the huge communications dish they were going to see and another on a ship connected to the hub. Duo stayed silent for the most part while Heero enjoyed talking to cen-com. Then he announced that they were going into a 'null' spot, a place where communications were spotty. He told the group that they wouldn't be able to speak to cen-com for a while but that they could speak to him, or Malcolm.

"Well, there we are. I just hope they remember they have to chin the toggle. Mal, your two look awfully familiar. Who are they?"

Mal just snickered, "What are their call signs again?"

"01 and 02, and, oh, shit! For real?"

"For real as far as cen-com can tell. And they caught a stressed seam on one of their suits. Made a big splash amongst the crew."

Mat gave a soft snort, which carried clearly over the helmet mike. "So? A stressed seam isn't worth worrying about. All the suits have at least one."

Heero added his voice to the conversation. "01. A stressed seam isn't something to fool around with. You'll kill someone with that sort of carelessness."

Duo just grunted, as he had his mic open the sound was transmitted to the four on the open circuit. That was when Heero realized that the setup was very odd, for a civilian outfit. The open mics didn't shut down the head phones so the suits with open mics were on what amounted to a party-line, everyone could hear everyone else. He was glad that most of the tourists hadn't opened their mics, the babble would be untranslatable.

"I'm not careless. I know what I'm doing. The seam isn't that stressed. Look, it's right here." Mat stretched the side of the suit to show the seam in question. The seam promptly split.

Mat stood for one second, then the realization hit him, his scream nearly deafened them. The split seam leaked air for a moment then split a bit more. The suit tanks, trying to make up for the drop in air pressure, emptied themselves, turning the suit into an unguided missile. Mat shot into space, pulling several of his tourists off the surface of the station, the magnetics in their boots breaking seal with the metal skin of the station.

Duo grabbed the nearest tourist and held on, the man, not realizing what he was doing, tried to push him off. "No! Hang on to me! You'll be pulled into space!" One sentence turned the man from an offended pusher to a clinging, panic stricken octopus. Duo maneuvered his feet back into contact with the station skin and made sure his magnetics made full contact.

Heero, meanwhile, had grabbed the short cable between Mat and the rest of the group and, using his enormous strength, unclipped him from the string of people and let him shoot into space. He now had hold of the end of the cable with a huge U of people strung out into space, only saved from disappearing along with Mat by the rest of the string on one end and Heero on the other. Heero tugged hard but nothing happened. He glared and realized that every single person disconnected from the station was flailing around like a lunatic. He tried to speak to them but nothing happened, they were still in the dead zone.

"Fuck! Dammit!" Duo took over when he realized that all Malcolm was doing was mourning his lost friend, at the top of his lungs. "Malcolm! Shut the fuck up!! Toggle off, if you can't shut your loud mouth." The screaming abruptly stopped. "01! Have you got them?"

"02, for now, but my magneticsaren't capable of handling the strain much longer. I can feel them letting go."

Cen-com could hear them in a staticy, broken way and tried to talk to them, all either Heero or Duo could hear was a few broken words. Heero replied grimly, "01 ... 01 ... 01 ... to ... cen-com ... cen-com ... silence ... silence ... do ... not ... copy. repeat ... 01 to cen-com, we do not copy."

Duo snapped, "01, let them chatter, we got other fish to fry. Take charge."

So Heero did. In a frozen voice that commanded instant attention he announced. "Can the chatter! Shut up! Keep the frequency clear unless you've got something worth while to say." The noise cut off at once. "Thank you. Anyone who's still attached to the colony _must_ keep contact. You're one of the things that's keeping the line from drifting. Hold you places, do not try to help. My partner will pull the detached people in one at a time. If you have any EVA experience, hold up your hand." All the while he was talking, Heero was reeling in people like fish. The third man he pulled in made contact and immediately started helping pull in the next person, he also started talking.

"That's my son. Help him!"

Heero continued to pull on the tether. "We've got him. You have EVA experience?"

"Yeah, we get my son clamped down and I'll help your buddy pull people in from his side. We'll get it done!"

"That's right. We will." Heero made sure the son was clamped to the surface firmly and motioned for his helper to go to Duo.

Duo was struggling to do two things at once, keep the string of detached people from pulling more of the tourists off the station and calm the remaining people down enough to keep them from making the situation worse. It didn't help that his radio was still clogged with screaming and shouted demands for someone to do something.

Suddenly a shuttle zoomed in overhead. It hovered and a door opened in its belly. Three heavy suited rescuers drifted out, reoriented and moved quickly to the line of detached suits. One of the figures thumped down beside Duo, another beside Heero, the third took a position at the middle of the loop of drifting, wriggling suits.

"Ok, got the chain, up or down?"

Before anyone on the rescue team could do anything much, the whole chain of tourists began to talk, all at once, no one could understand any of them.

Heero snapped, "One at a time. You're all safe now, so wait your turn. Sound out when your number is called."

Malcolm finally managed to pull himself together and call his cen-com, using the rescue ship's booster. He filled them in quickly and asked what to do. They told him to take orders from the head of the rescue mission. He switched frequencies and told the captain of the group he was ready for orders.

"Ok, kid, here it is, 'Shut up and get out of the way. You'll be under investigation until we get this sorted out.'"

Duo heard this, of course, and took exception to the captain'stone of voice. "Look, pal, Malcolm didn't do anything wrong. He wasn't the guide for that group, he was ours. So lighten up."

"Well, where's the other guide then?"

Heero answered that one. "Headed for Mars orbit. He's the reason half the train is off the skin."

The silence that met this comment was interrupted by one of the other rescuers who identified herself as 'Mama'. She wanted to know when they were going to decide what to do with the drifters.

While they'd been talking and Heero and Duo had been stabilizing the line, the rescuers had been getting all the drifters reattached to the station skin. Now they had to decide whether to take them to the hovering shuttle or walk them to the nearby doorway.

Captain Jack could be heard sighing heavily. "Ok. Here we go. Do not tell me your name, I don't care what it is. Your number is on the back of your left glove and on the back of your backpack. When your number is called, you will tell us if you want to go up to the shuttle or walk to the door. You will say either 'door' or 'shuttle'. When you state your preference you'll either be taken straight to the shuttle or left tethered to make the walk to the door. Medical help will be waiting at either sight. Now, the numbers of the group designated 'tour' start with twenty. Number Twenty."

There was some complaining from people who wanted miracles and some screaming when people realized they had to wait their turn. Heero moved up and down the line touching helmets with people, reassuring or threatening, as needed. Duo did the same only he seemed to be drawn to the children in the group. He coaxed and cajoled, comforted and commanded.

It took them nearly ten minutes to get everyone sorted. The sorting process interested Duo and infuriated Heero. He couldn't understand why some people wanted to know if they knew who they were. Of course they didn't, why should they? He listened as Captain Jack got everyone sorted out and organized. Then had to do it all over when the people who wanted to go up to the shuttle realized that they had to go up a zip line. More sorting and shuffling ensued.

Mama wound up in charge of the group that was taking a zip up to the shuttle, Captain Jack had to go back up to the shuttle as well. That left 'Junior', Heero and Duo to make the walk to the door with fifteen terrified, inexperienced people on a slender cable. Heero didn't like the idea much and said so.

"Cen-com to 01. There's no way we can force them to take the shuttle if they don't want to. Please help our guide get them to safety."

Heero's grunt said it all. Duo kept his mouth shut.

It didn't take either of them long to wish they'd decided to take the shuttle back, whether this group needed help or not.

"I don't want to walk anymore. Why can't they send a bus for us?"

"I'll fucking sue them for everything they have. Don't they know who I am?"

"Mommy, why didn't we take the nice shuttle, I'm tired."

And on and on, all the while cen-com was trying to get them to be quiet. They needed to be on the same frequency as the guides now, so that they could help anyone who needed it.

Finally, Duo started laughing. Not the merry laugh of a happy Duo. He was laughing the terrifying manic cackle of Shinigami. Heero clamped his mouth shut on a soft whimper. This was not good.

"Everybody shut up. The next person to open their mouth without something really important to say is going into space ... naked." The silence was deafening. "Thank you. I've heard a few questions. So, no bus, they don't work on the skin. None of us care who you are, you're just meat to get from one place to the other safely." Then his voice became tender. "Little girl, I don't know why your Mommy didn't take the shuttle, maybe she's stupid. Sorry." Someone started to say something, Duo cut him off in a voice as cold as the space around them. "Did I call your number?" No reply. "Didn't think so. 01 will issue orders. You will obey."

Heero cleared his throat. "Ah-hem! No one talks unless it's about something important. If you've got a problem, speak up. Otherwise, can the chatter."

Cen-com called in, the silence finally allowing them to get through. "Cen-com to 01. Please lead your group to Docking Bay 342-a-16." They gave exact directions, in degrees and feet, to the door of the bay. Heero noted them and started out, leading his chain of tourists toward the entrance to the station.

Duo moved back and forth along the line, snarling at some, gently encouraging others. Some cringed away when theydidn't need to and other's tried his patience to a thread.

A man grabbed him and clanked their helmets together. "How much longer do we have to drag this useless mess along with us. I say clamp them down right here and take those of us who are worthwhile on. I have things to do." Duo pealed him off like a dirty rag.

The little girl was too young to realize that she hadn't turned off her mic, or even how to do so.

"Mommy, I'm really scared. And I'm tired. Can't you carry me just for a little while?"

"I'm sorry, honey, I can't. I don't know if I'm supposed to. What if I do something wrong and you ... I can't. Don't worry, it won't be long now."

Duo moved toward the small figure, who was struggling to keep up with her longer legged companions. Before he could reach her he was snagged again. This time the demand seemed more reasonable and the woman let go of Duo the second he turned towards her.

"I'm really sorry for grabbing you but I didn't know how to get your attention any other way. You told us to stay off the radio. We're all really tired. Why can't we stop for a rest. I'm sure we'd all appreciate it."

Duo put his hand behind her head to guide her helmet against his. "Kick the switch with your chin." The woman twisted her head awkwardly to touch the toggle. "Yeah, that one. Just bump it with your chin. Good. ... Now, to answer your question. We don't have enough air. There's a dial gage right at eye level on the inside right of your faceplate. It's in percentages. If you've got more than 20, I'm a monkey's uncle."

"I've got about ... um ... 15. Is that bad?"

Duo sighed. "Yeah, real bad. You're going to be breathing recirc before you hit the bay door. You can only do recirc for about ten minutes before you start to go hypoxic. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'm going to have to carry that kid."

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble. But ... I think maybe you should check some of the larger men. They may be in real trouble."

Duo sighed and wished he could rub his face. "Lady, how the hell do you expect me to change a bottle on one of these suits? They're sealed systems. You can't do any maintenance from the outside. You have to open the suit to do anything to them. Sorry," He sighed again. "Didn'tmean to snap."

He pulled away from the woman, praying that he didn't have to deal with some panicked man, out of O2 and fighting. He pushed the thought out of his mind and moved on to the little girl.

"You tired, sweet thing? If Mama says it's ok, I'll carry you for a while. OK?"

"Yes, sir, I'm really tired. I wish I could have a piggy-back ride, but Mama says not."

"I think I can convince your Mama to let me carry you." He leaned into the woman and touched his helmet to hers. She flinched away but Duo wrapped his hand around her helmeted head to keep them in contact. "Don't pull away and keep walking. I'll carry the little one, if you say it's ok."

"I'd be glad for you to do it, if it's ok. I'm afraid she's not going to be able to keep going much longer. I'm so scared for her. I'll be fine but she's so little."

Duo just reached over and swung the little girl onto his hip. "What's your name, sweeting?"

"Anna-Marie. You going to carry me?"

"Sure am."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"Oh, you! You're just silly. Who was that laughing? It was really creepy. But it sure made everyone quit jamming the frequencies with stupid stuff. I'm sorry I was so loud, I was really scared."

They were interrupted by Heero's transmission. "01 to 02. Can the chatter or get her radio turned off."

Duo just replied, "02 to 01. Sorry about that. I didn't realize her radio was still on. Will comply. I'll see if I can't get her to turn it off." He returned his attention to Anna-Marie. "Honey, you're radio is still on. How did you get it on in the first place?"

"It was just on, I guess. I didn't turn it on. How do you get it off?" Duo explained and was pleased to hear the sharp click as she chinned the toggle to turn off her broadcast.

"Good girl! I'm really proud of you. Now, we're about ten minutes from the door. Can you read the white gage right there?" He tapped her helmet right over the gage, hoping that would get her to look at it.

"Sure, the one for my air? It's got a red needle and the needle is on ... um ... looks like 35 marks. Is that good?"

Duo breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's real good. That's how much air you have left. Thirty-five percent of your load is left."

"Oh, ok. Can I just be quiet for a while? I'm really tired."

"Sure. I'll just be real quiet too."

Duo eyed his own gage, which said he had 20 of his air left. He chinned another control in his helmet and tried the frequency. "02 to 01,you copy?"

"01 to 02. I copy. What is it?"

"What's your oxy load?"

"25. Yours?"

"20. I'm good. But there's at least one person with only 15. I wonder how many have less. You think cen-com can get us the count?"

"I'll ask. You make another trip down the line then stay at the back door."

"Gotcha. Headed back."

Duo hitched Anna-Marie into a more comfortable position on his hip and moved down the line, wondering how he was going to check oxy levels without terrifying the whole group. Anna-Marie had his answer.

"Mr. Duo, the man that got lost used to look at the back of my pack. What's there? Is it bad?"

"Don't know, sugar pie, let me take a look." Duo put the little girl on her feet and turned her around. He examined her pack for a moment and found a flap. He opened the flap and saw a complete read out of every suit function, including oxy levels. "No, it's nothing bad, in fact, it's really good."

As Duo made his way down the line he just stopped each person long enough to open the flap and look at the gauges, making mental notes as he did so. There were three people with less than 20 left, including Anna-Marie's mother. This worried him but there wasn't much he could do about it. He contacted cen-com on a closed frequency and told them the problem. They told him that there wasn't much that could be done, the suits had to be opened to be serviced, that included refilling the oxy tanks. Duo snarled, said a rather sour 'Thank you.' and tacked himself onto the end of the line, clipping his leash onto the last clip along with Anna-Marie's.

The line shuffled on, no one could hear the sobbing of some, the cursing of others and no one cared to. The cen-com controller who was listening to the still open mics could only pray that the talkers had enough oxygen to make it. Talking used oxygen, something some of them couldn't afford.

Duo followed silently, carrying Anna-Marie again. She was mostly silent, only asking once if there was some way she could get a drink of water. Duo told her how to find the sippy straw only to be informed that the water tank was empty. He snarled softly, heads were going to roll when he got back into the station.

It took them another stressful ten minutes to make it to the door. The double doors of the lock would take another two or three minutes to cycle, luckily the lock was big enough that all the group would fit in at one time.

As the lock was half way through the opening cycle it didn't take them long to get inside it.

Duo checked to make sure that everyone was in the lock. He knew that at least two people were on rebreather by now and only had a few more minutes before they were breathing 'dirty gas', air that had been recycled too many times.

The inner lock seemed to take forever to open but when it did they were rushed by several crews of suit handlers. These people had been gathered from all over the station, hurrying to the site to help get the distressed tourists out of their suits as quickly as possible. Duo put Anna-Marie down and stripped off her helmet quickly.

"You ok, sweetie? Let me get you a drink." Duo turned to find a water bottle pressed into his hand. "Thanks 'Ro. Poor thing's about to blow away." He handed the bottle to Anna-Marie and watched as she gulped it down thirstily.

"Thank you, Mr. Duo. I was really dry. Where's my Mama?"

"Don't worry, we'll find her in a minute. I want the medic to look you over first."

Heero was 'unbuttoning' Duo's suit as Duo took care of Anna-Marie, his nimble fingers making quick work of unfastening the seals. Heero turned his attention to his own suit and, with the aid of a handler, pealed it off. He turned back to Duo to help him get Anna-Marie out of her suit.

It didn't take them long to get her out of the suit. She was small and limber and crawled out the second Heero got the chest seals open. She was wearing a suit skin just like all the adults and shivered a bit in the huge cold docking bay. Duo wrapped his arms around her the second Heero peeled him out of his suit and went in search of a medic. It only took him a second to find one as there seemed to be one attending each victim. He called to the woman then got out of her way. Heero turned to find another medic waiting to attend him.

The medic stuck small sensors on his chest, back and abdomen. He checked his readouts, pulled off Heero's sensors and started to replace them.

Heero stopped him, "Wait. Let me see the readouts." The medic handed him the readout unit. "The readouts are well within our usual parameters. Yuy, Heero. Thanks. Will ... Never mind, I see someone else has gotten to Duo already."

The medic attending Duo was looking at his readout and mumbling to himself. Heero went to see what was going on.

"What's wrong?"

The medic looked up. "These readings are ... strange. I'm not sure whether the sensors messed up or ... um ... can you give me his name? He insists that it's Puddin' Tame."

Heero snickered. Duo could be very strange at times like this. "His name is Maxwell, Duo. Let me see his readings. I just checked them this morning so I know what normal is ... for him." The medic handed the scanner over a bit doubtfully. "He's ok. All his readings are a bit elevated, just like mine are, but well within normal for us. If that's all?" The medic nodded. "I need to get the young lady back to her mother, check on things and ... Duo!" Duo turned to grin at Heero. "What should we do next?"

"Man, get a great, honkin' drink of something cheap and strong, go home, fu ... er ... Anna-Marie, why don't we go find your mom, ok?"

Anna-Marie just nodded gravely. "OK, we can find Mom, then you two can go and have sex." Duo choked. "What? I'm eight not four. I had a class. I know where babies come from and everything."

Heero bit his lip then gave up, he threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, priceless. Duo, speechless, someone write it down. Come on, let's go find your mom." Heero held out a hand to Anna-Marie. She took it and held Duo's hand too.

They walked down the ragged line of victims, all of whom where under the care of one or more medics. Heero glanced around, it looked like a battle field. One where most of the battle had been fought in space. He gulped and clutched at Duo. Duo simply gripped his hand in strong fingers and pulled him aside.

"Mr. Duo? Is something wrong with Mr. Heero? Can I help?" Anna-Marie was too young to know much about PTSD but she knew that something was distressing Heero.

"You sure can, munchkin. Just let's give Heero a great big hug. Ok?"

Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and so did Anna-Marie. They just cuddled him until he sighed, rubbed his face and pushed away gently.

"Better. I'm sorry if I scared you, Anna. I saw things when I was in the war. This brought back some bad memories. Come on, let's find your mom."

"Ok. I'm sorry you got bad memories. Mama says that, if you got bad dreams, you should try to think of good things before you go to sleep. Maybe that'll work with memories too. You think?"

Heero squeezed her hand, careful not to crush it. "Maybe. I'll try it. I think a really pleasant memory would be getting you back to your mom."

It didn't take them long to find her. Anna-Marie let out a squeal and pulled away from Duo. "Mama! Mama, there you are. I was so worried for you. Are you alright?"

The woman was flat on her back on a gurney, wearing an oxygen mask. "Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired. I ran out of air in the lock, but I'll be fine." She held out her arms for her daughter and Anna-Marie climbed onto the gurney with Duo's help. "Just lay down here and rest for a while." The woman was pale and a bit sweaty. Anna-Marie snuggled down beside her mother and fell asleep at once.

"Excuse me, I know you're still feeling unwell, but I really need to ask you a few questions." Heero took the woman's hand in his and patted it.

"My name is Marie and you are?" Marie touched her oxygen mask to make sure it was still in place.

"Heero. When you started your tour, did you, by any chance, look at your gages?"

"Yes, and Anna-Marie's too."

"How much oxygen did you start out with?"

"About 60. Is it important? The guide assured me that it would be more than enough. But I did run out."

"It's important. As far as I know, it's against station regulations for anyone to leave the station without at least 90. And suit maintenance was ... sub-par at best. There's going to be trouble over this."

Duo brought over a blanket and tucked both Anna-Marie and Marie in. "You rest now. We're going to get to the bottom of this." Marie snuggled her daughter and lay back to rest until they could be taken to the hospital for a thorough check up.

Heero was just getting ready to reorganize the evacuation when Quatre's voice rang out.

"JUST EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Duo clutched Heero's arm. "Oh, hell, please tell me that tour company didn't belong to Q. Please, pretty please with sex on it."

Heero sighed, he had been hoping to avoid this. "No, it belongs to the colony, but all the suits were made by Winner Inc. Can we leave now?"

They tried to sneak out but, thanks to Trowa, Quatre knew they were there. He stopped them with two simple words. "Help me."

Duo sighed and went to his side with Heero right behind him.

"Ok, Q, what do you need?"

"I need you to do the job I've hired you for. Find out what the hell happened to one of my suits. Find out why that young man lost his life and all those other people were short of gas."

"Ok, we'll do that. Just keep the press off our asses until we can come up with something."

Quatre glanced at Trowa who just nodded and walked off to deal with the reporters standing behind a hastily erected barrier. He just told them that there was no news to release yet. He also told them that there would be a press conference when they had anything to tell. They all left, grumbling; but they left.

Trowa returned to Quatre's side and announced, "I got rid of them for now, but, if we don't have a real press conference soon, they'll all be on us like ants at a picnic. You two need to take a few hours down time?"

Duo shook his head. "I'm good." He turned at Heero's grunt. " 'Ro, my back is fine. I'm a little sore from getting in and out of the suit. But the entire walk was in null grav so there was no stress. If we take down time now, they'll have time to cover everything up. Come on. We need to look into this right now."

Heero nodded. "Ok, you're right." He turned to Quatre. "We need credentials that'll let us access the maintenance records on the suits as well as the recommended optimal parameters. I assume you have them, or they're on the way here."

Quatre just took two ID cards out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Heero and Duo. "Right here. I'll expect a report in ... six hours?"

Duo nodded. "You got it." Quatre smiled, nodded to both his friends and headed for a side door, Trowa in tow.

Heero watched for a second, grinned at Duo and remarked. "Man is dick whipped for sure."

"You know it. 'Fei's got Milliardo under his thumb too."

Heero laughed. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Right behind you."

O

It didn't take them long to run into the first resistance. The owner of the tour agency was busily 'cleaning up' his books. Luckily, they were electronic. Heero just handed him a court order for all his maintenance records. Quatre had gotten it from a judge and emailed it to Heero.

Heero showed it to the owner, a Mr. Millian, and ordered him away from the computer. The secretary who'd shown him in just quietly closed the door.

"Excuse me. I'll take over here. You really don't think you can delete information so thoroughly that Ican't find it, do you?" Heero settled at the key board and reconstructed the information more quickly than the man had deleted it. He connected his computer to the business one and downloaded every file on it. "I'll be analyzing this information for a bit. You might want to tell your people to cooperate with my partner. He's not in a good mood right now, your incompetence endangered some children, one of them a young girl. We both care way too much about children. You could use the phone right there." Heero glowered at them man. "Do I make myself clear?" Mr. Millian reached for the phone, paling a bit. "I thought so." Heero returned to his analysis, seemingly ignoring the man, but he listened to every word that was said.

Millian hung up the phone and resentfully settled himself in his guest chair. He watched as Heero recovered other files he was sure had been deleted months ago. They were added to the analysis data base. The only thing he could think of was how small Heero's computer was, he wasn't sure it was powerful enough to analyze the mass of data the young man had stuffed into it. He picked his lip nervously.

"Don't do that, all you'll do is make it bleed. You should have had second thoughts when it would do you some good."

"You don't understand, all I did was cut a few corners. Corners that didn't really make any difference."

Heero eyed the man for a moment. "All the regulations are there for a reason. You can't cut corners on something when someone's life depends on it being done right. You didn't even bleed off the tanks on the proper schedule."

Heero looked up and realized that the man had no idea what he was talking about, he sighed and went back to work.

O

Duo, meanwhile, was in the bay again. He just walked in, flashed his badge and started asking some very uncomfortable questions. He got few answers and a cold shoulder from many of the people that had been friendly just a few short hours ago. Or long hours, if you'd been stranded on the skin by a sprung suit and a disconnected line of panicked tourists. He sighed and handed his papers to the head of the department.

"This is a legal paper that allows me to interview any of your people. I want to talk to the head of each crew. Any complaints about the maintenance schedules? I want to know about all of them. And let everyone know that no one's in trouble. I know that you all need your jobs and didn't want to endanger them."

"It's a lose lose situation. No one in the administration understands suit maintenance, the regs are loose, and the station inspectors over worked. We do what we can when we can, but even some of the guides don't understand the problem. Like that boy we lost today. I'm just sick about it, but what could we do. Losing our jobs wouldn't do any one any good."

Duo held up his hand. "I'm from L2 so I'm actually on your side. Just point me to the one's who'll look best in court. 'Cause I think that's wherethis is headed, Winner is really pissed. An' you won't like him when he's pissed."

The supervisor rubbed his face. "Hell, come on, I'll get you some coffee and a desk. My name's Norman, what's yours?"

Duo shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm still recovering from that accident. Name's Duo Maxwell. I was on the short line tour. Just me, Heero and the guide. We joined up with the other tour to see the new dish. Now, I'm here annoyin' the hell out of you. Coffee would be great."

Norman led Duo to a small office containing a desk, computer station, filing cabinet and guest chair. He shrugged. "It's small but it's empty. You can use the computer if you want or just use the net hookup. I'll be back with coffee and your first interview. Um... sorry about your reception. Everyone thought you were a reporter. Shift changed while you were out-side."

Duo laughed softly. "Now I'm insulted. Reporter? Bite your tongue."

Norman laughed and left Duo to set up his computer, check his email and wait for coffee and his interviewee.

It didn't take long for the woman to arrive. She was one of the people who'd given him the shoulder when he'd tried to talk to her. Now she came with apologies and coffee. Duo forgave her at once.

"Here. Coffee, black, no sugar. You want fancy we got ... packets. Um ... sorry about earlier."

Duo took the coffee, remarking, "Defile good coffee with packet sugar and powdered pseudo-cream? Don't think so. As to the other, I ought to be highly insulted, but since you thought I was a reporter, you're forgiven. Now. ... I got a bunch of questions to ask you."

"Ok, sure. Ask away. Don't know what good I can do, but I'm all ears."

"And very cute one's too." They both laughed at this then settled down to business.

Duo led the woman through a set of questions that covered most of the data they needed to have. She answered easily and as completely as she could. Duo entered her answers in a form that Quatre had had made by someone in his office. All in all, he didn't like the answers very much.

Duo spent the rest of the day interviewing person after person. They all had the same story, they followed the rules of the corporation to the letter but the company was run by a bunch of bean counters who wouldn't know proper suit maintenance if it jumped up and bit them. Which it did, just not in a good way.

"Ok. Norman, can you come in here?" Duo eyed the computer screen and sighed.

"That's an awfully big sigh. What's the deal?" Norman settled in the guest chair and leaned back. "Who do we get to arrest?"

"I'm trying to decide. The company regulations don't live up to the stated maintenance required by the manufacturer. There's going to be some real fall out. You don't mess around with WEI maintenance schedules and get away with it. They're there for a reason and I think there's even a contractual requirement of some kind. But ... I'm not a legal johnny ... but, I think there's going to be some heads roll. An' I'm gonna be around to watch 'em."

Norman looked a bit surprised. "Well, we actually get to do something about this? That's good. I heard that Winner has a new fixer. Some guy named Yuy. You know him?"

"Yeah, I'm his partner, Maxwell. Didn't I tell you?"

"Doesn't matter. All that matters is that we get to go back to a proper maintenance schedule. And someone pays for Mat. He was a good kid, but he listened to the bosses too much. We been doing maintenance the best we could beyond the regs the desk jockeys set. But we couldn't do enough."

"Heero is still analyzing all the data, and the interviews. When he's done, we'll send a report to Quatre and that'll be it. All over but the screaming."

Norman snorted. "That little ... pansy? He couldn't wipe his nose without one of his sister's permission."

Duo shook his head, glared until Norman apologized then snapped,"Where the hell did you get that idea? He's in charge, not his sisters. He's been fighting them off since the end of the war. He's settled business now and he's building his own colony. He gave three or four of his worst problems companies of their own. He's buying them back now." Duo rubbed his face and the stretched. "I'll send the last of my information and ask Heero what he wants to do next. See you around. I know they are going to call you in to testify."

"I'll be ready, willing and able. I really want to get whoever it was decided we didn't need to stick with the company check lists. We all protested the change, you know. Everyone who signed the petition got a ... job review letter."

Duo blinked for a second, he'd heard about those. "If you can get me a copy of one, I'd really like to have it."

Norman grinned rather evilly. "Got one right here and a copy of the petition ... with signatures. How's that?"

"Great! I'll send it to Heero." Duo accepted the chip and stuck it into the reader slot. He sent the information to Heero then checked his email. He got an acknowledgment of the data send and a 'return to quarters'. He just said good-bye to Norman, reminding him to stand by, shut down his computer and left.

He met Heero in the corridor to their apartment and smiled a bit wearily. "No rest for the wicked. I must be a real son of a bitch. Some walk in the park, huh, love."

Heero just shook his head. "I acquired a new name. I do think I like it though."

"Yeah, I bet. What is it?"

"The Fixer."

Duo chuckled as he opened the door. "Wonder if I'll ever get a different name. I like Fixer. Nice."

"Me too." Heero flopped wearily onto the couch followed by Duo, who flopped a bit more gently. "Couch ... nice. I'm tired."

"We should eat."

"Soon."

They both kicked off their shoes. Heero swung around and picked Duo's feet off the floor. Duo let Heero put his feet in his lap and pulled Heero's into his. Each man intended to rub the other man's feet, neither one of them succeeded. They fell asleep instead.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 5/?

Word count:

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53 (thanks, hun)

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

O

If you were a regular civilian, you would have been surprised by Quatre. If you were a Gundam Pilot, you wouldn't be.

"Trowa, would you please find out who the executive director of that company is? I'd like to have a few words with him. And please have Duo and Heero start an investigation into their safety practices for me."

Trowa just nodded. Quatre was polite to him but the expression on his face was cold as space.

Trowa started the massive machinery of WEI rolling. The first thing he did was call Duo and ask him to read the suit manual, in conjunction with Heero. If there was anything wrong in the manual, that was where they needed to start.

Duo received the manual on the morning of the next day, Heero copied his. They both settled in to read and it didn't take them more than ten minutes to figure out half of what was wrong. The manual's recommended safety checks had been watered down, the hours between checks almost doubled and the limits raised. The number of popped stitches raised, and the tank maintenance requirements were, as Duo put it, suicidal. Heero was snarling by the time they were done reading.

"Ok, I'd like to meet the engineer who approved this mess. You wanna call Quatre?"

Heero shook his head. "Not really. You know he's going to go postal over this. I think we need to go check the maintenance logs on the suit that ruptured, and any other logs we can get our hands on."

Duo rubbed his face. "Yay! Really know how to make my day, doncha." Duo levered himself up from his chair with a wince. He was stiff from sitting still too long. The twenty minutes or so it had taken to read the manual was still more than he liked.

"Sorry. You ok? Need a pill?"

Duo considered for a moment. "No. I'm just a bit stiff. We better call Q. and get the ball rolling. We might need subpoenas or something. Call 'Fei?"

Heero thought about that for a second. "Yeah. I'll call him, you call Quatre."

Duo made a face, he'd walked right into that one. "Chicken." He made clucking noises at Heero who just nodded, announced, "Damn straight." and reached into his pocket for his phone. They all now had inter-colony cell phones, courtesy of Quatre.

Heero called Quatre and just told him to have the engineering department check the manuals for that model of suit then submit a report on their opinion of the viability of the minimum required maintenance. He flatly refused to tell Quatre anything else claiming it would 'prejudice' his judgment. He hung up on Quatre in mid snarl.

Wufei's conversation with Duo went a bit better, on Duo's part at least. Wufei just demanded to know who was suing who and if Quatre was involved. When Duo told him Quatre was probably going to sue the tour company, Wufei told him to hold off on getting subpoenas issued until he was sure they were needed. Then he went off on a rant, Duo held the phone to his ear and made appropriate noises from time to time. But he had to agree with the gist of the rant, companies should do the optimum safety maintenance at the minimum times. Not the other way around. Too many lives were lost due to cost cutting bean counters, at least that was what Duo translated the vulgar Taiwanese to. Duo chuckled as he hung up.

"You know, Wufei is a blast. He speaks High Mandarin, like he was raised to, but he swears in Taiwanese. Why is that, do you think?"

Heero thought about it for a minute. "I think it's because Taiwanese originated in Taiwan," Duo gave him a 'no shit' look, "and Taiwan is a port city. Lots of dock workers. See?"

Duo grinned and nodded. He was well aware that dockworkers were well known for the originality of their oaths. He didn't 'suck potty mouth out of my thumb' as he was fond of explaining. Sweepers were known for their filthy mouths, and Duo was a product of the streets of L2 and the Sweepers. But Wufei had, on occasion, shocked even him.

"Ok, that makes sense. We going to do another round of interviews?"

Heero sighed. "Yeah, this time we get to check all the logs against the minimum maintenance requirements and ain't that gonna be fun." Duo made a face at his attempt at a Sweeper accent. Heero made a face back.

"If we're going to check logs, why interview anyone."

"This time we get to ask the crews if anyone interfered with their maintenance schedules or changed them without warning or against advice of an engineer. Or a maintenance expert. Then we check the interview results against the logs."

Duo's sour face made his opinion clear. "Yeah, and we'll get exactly zip. They've all been threatened by now and you know they can't afford to lose their jobs or they'd have raised holly hell earlier."

Heero shrugged a bit. "I know. That's a real problem. One we need a solution to right now."

Duo leaned back in his chair, thinking furiously. "Hmmmm, some way to dodge the ... Supervisory busybodies, so to speak. You thirsty?"

"Could be. What's going on in your twisted little mind? Not that I'm actually objecting ... yet."

Duo grinned, wholly unrepentant. "See ... it's this way. Most dockworkers like to have a drink after work and a pub is a great way to ... um ... drop a word in the right ears. I need to talk to Quatre about something before I make my plans. Infiltration is still one of my skills."

Heero finally got what Duo had in mind, his shifty eyed expression made Duo chuckle. "I'm not so bad at infiltration myself, you know."

Their call to Quatre yielded the hoped for results. They now had ammunition against fears of reprisals from company agents against whistle blowers. Quatre had agreed to hire anyone who got fired for talking, they would however have to keep the job on their own merit. Duo thought it would be enough.

.

Heero looked around the pub, it wasn't what he'd expected. This pub was exactly that, a pub in the ancient sense of the word. Men, women and a few children sat around tables or in booths talking and eating. There was plenty of beer, wine and other forms of alcohol around but no one seemed drunk. There was a dartboard way in the back and a few other games, electronic or otherwise, but the main reason for this place's existence was as a place to gather and socialize.

Duo led Heero to the bar and they took stools. The bartender glanced their way, held up one finger in the universal sign for 'be with you in one minute' and turned back to what he was doing. It took him less than a minute to finish his task and come to them.

"Ok, guys, what'll it be? No drugs here."

Duo shook his head. "Don't do 'em. Legal or ill. Not my thing. Just a nice local dark. Heero?"

"Rum and coke." Heero had learned about this trick from Duo. He didn't like alcohol in any form very much, he didn't like the feeling of being out of control it gave him. If he asked for a Shirley Temple it caused too much comment, but having his drink refreshed numerous times left him drinking coke in about two hours. Most bartenders didn't care one way or the other, you paid for a drink, they served it. Anyone stupid enough to make a comment usually got the idea from one of Heero's high BTU glares.

"Gotcha. We got a nice local brewery, makes really impressive stout. That ok?"

Duo nodded. "Sure. And some kind of munchie." The bartender just eased a basket of bar nuts their way and went for their drinks.

Duo grabbed a handful and popped one into his mouth, chewing he turned to look the pub over. "Nice place. We should come here more often." A small girl ran right into Duo's legs. "Hey, pumpkin, watch out. You'll bump your head."

The little girl looked up at Duo and smiled. "I'm sorry. Clumsy me. Mama'll be mad."

"No, she won't. You can blame it all on me. I got right in your line of run. Ok?"

" 'K. Nice man."

"Where's your mama? We better get you back to her." Duo started to pick the girl up but she noticed Heero and pointed.

"Who dat? Big frown. Pretty eyes." Duo nearly choked trying not to laugh.

"My name is Heero. What's yours? We can't keep calling you Pumpkin. You're not orange."

"Nora. Mama's ..." Nora looked around, "there."

"Ok, Nora, let's get you back to her." Duo caught the bartenders eye and jerked his head toward the nook were Nora's mother and several other people were sitting. He nodded back and placed two drinks on a tray.

Duo grinned brightly. "Hi! I believe this is yours?"

One of the women looked up at Duo then cast a horrified look at an empty chair behind her. "Damn. Nora, I thought I told you to stay in your chair while I went to order the food. You're in big trouble, young lady." Duo just handed the child over.

"It's ok. She's fine."

"Thanks, but ... um ... My name is Donna, didn't catch yours." Donna plopped Nora into her chair with a firm finality that made Duo wince a bit. Heero just pinned Nora with a slightly frosty look that made her squirm.

"Duo, that's Heero." He pointed to himself then Heero.

"Hi. And It's not Ok, I told her not to move from that chair until I got back. What If you weren't such nice guys? What if you ... did bad things to her?"

Duo nodded. "I see. Gotcha in one. So, what do you plan to do with her? Just nosey, see."

Donna just shrugged. "No ice cream for a week." She turned at Nora's whined 'Mom!' and shook a finger. "Want to make it two? And not a peep out of you until after you're finished eating everything on your plate."

The bartender had put the tray with Duo and Heero's drinks on it down on the table, now he was back with a larger tray filled with plates of food. He put plates in front of everyone at the table then turned to ask Heero if he and Duo were hungry. Heero glanced around, realized that there was now room at the table for the two of them. He sat between Duo and Nora, accepted a menu and settled himself to listen to Duo.

Duo placed his order and Heero just said, "Same thing." The waiter checked their drinks then left to turn in their order.

Heero sipped his drink and watched silently as Duo 'worked the room' he talked to anyone at the table, even breaking into conversations, managing to do so without insult. His friendly smile and easy ways made him so likable that it was easy for him to work his way into the conversations around him.

So, when he dropped the bomb into the middle of the table, it didn't cause a ripple. The waiter had just brought their plates and he casually asked, just before he took a huge bite out of his burger, "So, what about that ruptured suit thing?"

The silence didn't last long, young Nora piped up with, "That's bad. You're not suppose to talk about it. Mama will lose her job, the nasty man said so."

Heero glanced at her then at the adults at the table. They all had that deer-in-the-headlights look. The one that meant they didn't know how to get out of this one. "Oh? What nasty man?" Heero didn't take his eyes off Nora when he asked, letting Duo watch the rest of the room.

"The one that gave us this. He was all, 'You don't want to say anything'. And, he called me Missy. I hate that. He's just ... yuck!" Nora shuddered dramatically as she handed Heero a Memo. She'd been drawing on the back of it.

Heero made it to the paper before Donna could snatch it away. He casually glanced at the print, memorizing the whole thing in an instant. He flipped it, smiled at the rather lumpy dog then handed it to Duo. "Nice picture of a dog. Take a look." Duo took the paper and did the same thing Heero had done. He blinked once, purple eyes flashing.

"It is a nice dog. Can I keep this?" Nora nodded happy that someone wanted her art. "So. Is there any catsup?" Duo accepted the bottle with an absent 'Thanks.', dumped some of the condiment on his plate and returned to his conversation with two of the men. "Hmmm, let me get this clear. If you tried to do maintenance according to the recommended optimum schedules, you got docked? That sucks. You just got to do the minimum preventative maintenance? Who's stupid idea was that?"

One of the men sighed and rubbed his face. "Yeah, and a reprimand if we complained. We all have families and can't afford to lose our jobs. I feel really shitty about what happened to Mat but he was such a company suck up. He followed company policy like it was gospel. Got himself killed and could have killed a bunch of others. And what's the company doing? Trying to sweep it under the rug. We can't do anything either. One word and we're out in the cold. And on this station? That's really, really bad. Medical station or no, if you don't have a job, you can't get food, or anything else and getting off station? Really hard. I've got enough to get back to Earth or go to another station but people like Donna and Nora? They're in a real fix. So we shut our mouths, do the best we can and pray."

Duo shook his head. "That's not good. And I bet a whistle blower lasts about as long as a paper cat in hell."

"About." The other man agreed, a sour expression on his face. "You do what you can, ya know? I'd quit in a second, but I don't have a nut." At Duo's puzzled expression he explained. "That's what we call money to go to another colony or Earth. I don't have one so I'm stuck here. At least until I can save one. And ... I like it here. The colony itself is nice. It's just that this company sucks. If I could find another job, I'd take it in a second."

Heero glanced at Duo who raised an eyebrow, Heero just nodded at him. Duo returned his gaze to his companions. "That could be arranged." The skeptical looks he got made him hold up his hand in a universal gesture. "I swear."

"Who's going to take a chance on that." Donna glanced over her shoulder to check on Nora, so she missed the glance that passed between Heero and Duo. "Most of us with families can't take the chance of being black listed."

Heero raised an eyebrow at that one. Duo sighed. "So there's a black list?"

"Not official, no. But stuff gets around. No one is going to cooperate with you. No one who has a family to support or who doesn't want to wind up owing the sharks."

Heero thought he understood. "WEI doesn't believe in black lists, especially unofficial ones. If ... Duo, what the hell is the name of that bunch?"

Duo gave Heero a goggle eyed look. "You mean you took me Out-side and you don't even know the name of the company? What the fuck is that?"

Heero laughed. "The name of the tour company is Wonder Tours. They're not the company that's the problem. It's the parent company and I don't know the name of that one."

He pulled his computer out of his pocket and set it up on the table. He tapped his request into the search program and waited, it took about two seconds for the computer to come up with his answer. "Ok, the parent company is Galactic Tours. A little pretentious if you ask me. Let's see what we can find out about them."

Nora interrupted just then. "My best friend's Daddy says that Galactic is a bunch of rich fuckers who ought to be ... casteratered. Is that a word?"

Donna blinked, then announced, "Nora, you don't use that word and you don't repeat what Mr. Finley says. You know you're not supposed to swear. But ... did he say anything else? Something ..." She turned a look at Heero. Heero just turned his look on Duo.

Duo moved around to talk to Nora while Heero kept up his search.

"Did he say why he thought that? It's really important and I don't think Mom will be mad as long as you watch the swearing."

"Ok. Well, he said they cut corners too much and they black balled people just because. They like a bottom better than people. And something about stacks, or socks. And they're in chapter 13. That's no good, is it?"

"No, sweetie, that's not good at all. Anything else?"

Nora thought carefully, swiping a french fry through a blob of catsup on her plate. "No, I can't think of anything else. And ... um ... we were listening in the hall 'cause we wanted to learn some new words so ... um ... am I in trouble?"

Donna sighed. "You ought to be, young lady, but ... since this is really important, you're not. Just sit there and try to remember anything else. Ok?"

Nora gave Donna a speculative assessing look. "If I remember something good, can I have ice cream?"

Duo snorted his drink. "I like this kid. Blackmail at ... How old are you?"

"I'm seven. But I'm bright for my age. So, can I?"

Donna bit her lip, thinking. Heero took over. "You may, I'll buy it. But if your intel turns out to be manufactured just to get your reward," he glared at her. "you won't like what happens."

"I won't. That's not a good thing to do. The next time you want to make a bargain, no one will trust you."

Heero chuckled. "That's right. And ... I'm getting all kinds of info, thanks to that little help." Donna shivered a bit. Heero had obviously been teasing her daughter, but she really didn't want that glare aimed at her for real.

"Ok. Here's what I've got. Galactic is in real financial trouble and ... there! I've found the lay-off list. This is going into effect in a week. Not good. Looks like about half the staff of Wonder Tours is getting cut."

Duo glanced around the table, every man and woman there looked a bit murderous. He knew what had happened as surely as if they'd shouted it. Someone from the company, a Junior VP possibly, had promised them that, if they didn't complain about the cuts in maintenance, they wouldn't lose their jobs. Now they were anyway. A flick of his eyes in Heero's direction let him know that Heero thought the same thing.

After showing his findings around the table, Heero started asking his questions. He got the answers he'd thought he would. They all told the same story, the one Heero had all ready figured out. Duo just sat, sipped his drink and kept his mouth shut. If he started talking, he'd wind up ranting about justice like Wufei, only with more profanity.

After another hour of talking, drinking and snacking, Duo had a fair idea of the lay of the land. Heero and he would compare notes a bit later, write a report for Quatre and decide on an interview strategy. Right now, they had rumors to start.

Heero watched as Duo casually dropped the info into conversation. "It's too bad about all the layoffs. It must be really hard, having a family to support and no job. I don't like being hungry, it's no good. Is it that hard to find a new job? I'd have thought that suit techs would have their pick of 'em."

Donna sighed and tapped her fingers on the table. "A lot of us aren't suit techs, we're just support personnel. Each of the crews has two techs, the rest of us are just grunts. They say, we do. It's not exactly illegal, but most suit companies don't like it much and if they find out about it ... sometimes they'll refuse to sell the company any more suits. Catch 22. And we're ..." she hesitated for a second and Nora announced, "Fucked!"

Donna just groaned and covered her face with her hands. Nora just sighed, "I can't unlearn something. And we are. The rent is due soon, the utilities aren't paid and there's nothing but yucky broccoli casserole left. So you have to have a job. I'm not stupid, just little."

"Sorry, honey, I forget. My IQ is only half yours, you know. But when little girls say words like that, people stop listening to the thought and only hear the words. Swearing is only for emergencies and not even then if you can think of something else. Got me?"

Nora sighed, as only a seven year old can. "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. But I know how scared you get and it makes me angry. I ought to be able to help you."

Donna pulled the little girl into her lap and kissed the top of her head. "I know, hun, I know. If I could find a better job, I'd take it in a second. But I'm not a tech, I'm only support staff and we're a dime a dozen."

Nora blinked for a second then asked, "What's a dime?"

Donna shrugged. "I'm not sure. Some kind of old coin. It's just a saying."

Heero couldn't help it, he pulled the girl into his lap, after a glance at Donna for permission. "Here. Type in 'dime' and see what you get." Nora eyed the projected 'keyboard' for a second then typed like it was physical. She grinned as the letters showed up and clicked return without prompting. She spent several minutes looking up dimes and reading about them. Heero helped her with the words she couldn't read.

While he did that Duo was 'working the room'. He chatted with the men and women, reassuring them that WEI would see that they didn't suffer for telling the truth. A few believed him, others didn't but the word was out. No one would keep a story like this to themselves, someone would talk when the time came.

Nora was in seventh heaven, Heero was great. He didn't have any preconceived ideas of what she should be like so he just answered her questions without hesitation. Until she asked, "What does the nasty man mean when he tells my mom that he'll see she loses her job unless she puts out? Puts what out?" Heero choked on his own spit. "You ok?"

Heero coughed, took a drink of water and then signaled Duo, a bit franticly. " 'Ro? You ok? What's up?"

Heero explained what Nora had said, while Nora fumed a bit in his lap. Duo turned to Nora, "Where's your Mom, hun?"

"She went potty." At Duo's look she announced firmly. "We got a signal. She'll be back, but I want an answer before she comes. If you don't tell, I'll scream."

Heero blinked, Duo paled. "No, no, don't do that. I'll answer, but if you tell your mom I told you I'll be in so much trouble. She'll gut me." So Duo managed to explain Putting out without traumatizing the kid. Nora was disgusted more than anything else and demanded to know why her mother would put up with that. Duo explained quickly then hushed Nora, telling her the truth, that her mom was coming back. Nora just snorted and whispered, "I really wish Mom could get a better job. She'd be happy ... and I could go to a better school. I'd really like that."

Duo snarled, pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Quatre. He was at home but, when Duo explained what he wanted, said to send the woman to his subsidiary, a tour company in competition with Wonder Tours. Quatre made a quick call then turned to Trowa with a feral grin. "They're on the ropes and don't even know it." Trowa just kissed him senseless and dragged him off to bed.

Duo grinned, turned to Donna and told her what Quatre had said.

"Oh, yeah," she scoffed. "Like The Winner is going to hire me on your say so. Who are you?"

Duo's grin turned a bit maniacal. "I told you, Duo. Maxwell. That's Heero Yuy. We're investigating the mismanagement on behalf of WEI and Quatre Winner. Your boss is in a shitload of trouble. We'll be handling the interviews tomorrow. Don't let that get around. Ok?"

Nods from all around the table left them hopeful that Duo's admission wouldn't make trouble later. Heero had to wish he hadn't told so much but done was done. Duo didn't seem very upset.

"Well, we better get going, we got stuff to do. See ya." Duo tossed money on the table and headed for the door. Heero followed, waving good-by to Nora, who grinned.

"You sure you should have done that?"

Duo grinned at Heero. "Psychological terrorism is one of my specialties, you know. Yeah, I should have. It'll get back to middle management, but not the higher ups. Not enough time. The people we'll be dealing with will be shitting their knickers. They're sure to make a mistake. One we can take advantage of. I hope they try to delete their records."

Heero thought about that one for a moment. "But they're all on the station mainframe. That's tampering ... oh, yeah. They tamper with the mainframe and that makes all the records public. Interesting idea. You do something stupid like that and everyone and his dog wants to know what's in those records. Human nature. I'm liking this more and more."

Duo grinned happily. "Me too. I think we can really do some good."

Heero grinned back. "And kick some butt."

"That too, buddy, that too."

.

The next morning they were awakened early by the phone. Duo's to be exact. Heero was closest to it so he answered it. "Hello, Yuy here."

"I'm sorry, I have the wrong number. I thought I was calling Major Duo Maxwell."

"This is Maxwell's phone. I'm Yuy, his partner. I'll get him for you, just a sec."

"Oh, never mind. I'll talk to you and you can tell him. The Wonder Tours Corp. tried to delete all their maintenance records at 12:06am. The deletion put their backup in public domain. I'll be sending them to whichever one of you wants them."

"Send them to me. I got a look at part of them but what I could access without a court order wasn't searchable. Now we got them."

"Yes, sir. Young Mat was a good kid, bit on the company man side but ... he didn't deserve to die like that. Hope you hang the bastards. Good luck."

Heero replied, "Thanks," before he hung up. Duo snorted in his sleep and Heero poked him. "UP! Come on, get up. We've got interviews to do."

Duo groaned. "Sick man here. Sleep."

"You're healed. Get up, or do you really need a shower."

"I'm up, I'm up. Coffee."

Heero laughed. "Yes, love, and breakfast. I got you up early enough that we have time. That call, which you so obviously didn't hear, was from a contact in Central Computers. Wonderfools tried to delete their records. They're now in public domain. We've got access to searchable data now. I'll start a search and compile while you take a shower."

Duo snorted. "Not this morning. I'm not going in there with wet hair. I'll get dressed while you start your search. Won't take me long, so get a wiggle on."

Heero just swatted at Duo, sending him towards the closet. "Get me a shirt and pants, ok? I don't care what. You pick. Make us look dangerous."

Duo nearly hurt himself laughing. "Heero, you look dangerous naked, wet and chained."

Heero blinked at Duo over his shoulder. "Really?"

Duo rolled his eyes, threw a t-shirt, jeans, and boots at Heero. "Here, I'll wear the same thing, we'll look semi-official. Wish ... um ... Heero?" Heero grunted at him. "How soon do we have to be there? I got an idea."

"I set up the first interviews for 10 am. Why?"

Duo nibbled at his lip for a second. "We're officers of WEI Security, right? So ... we're entitled to uniforms. How do we get them quick."

Heero switched to his e-mail and typed quickly. "I'll see. One of Quatre's secretaries is my contact. She has orders to send anything from me directly to Quatre or see to it herself. She'll at least know if we can get uniforms in time. What's on your mind?"

"Uniforms from WEI Security will give us a bit of ... presence. See? If we look really official, instead of looking like a couple of nosey kids. We'll get a bit more info. Maybe."

Duo grinned. "Us in uniforms. It always gives me a bit of a double-take kinda thing."

Heero grinned back. "Me too. Stupid as it seems. And ..." He quickly read the return mail from Quatre's secretary and another from Quatre himself. "We have to stop by this address, they'll have them ready for us by the time we eat breakfast. We'll still make it to the bay on time too.

Duo chewed on the butt of his stylus for a second. "We need to solidify our ranks too. Some people call us Major and others Lieutenant Colonel. I don't really care much but we got to get it clear. We need to get the right rank insignia and stick to it. Don't need anymore confusion than necessary. Right?"

Heero nodded. "I think we just need to decide what we want to be and demand it. What rank did you retire with? I was a Major."

Duo snickered, "Me too. Strange, really, people who tried to have me executed want to make me a general, or something. Guilt does wonderful things."

Heero snorted at the thought of Duo being a general. "General pain in the ass. Ow!" He ducked a second swat at his head with a light laugh. "Come on. We'll be late if we don't get a move on. I'll call Quatre as we ride the elevator. He'll come up with the appropriate rank for us. It's his security division, after all."

After some consultation between the three of them, on a conference link, they decided that Field Marshal was best. It was a very high rank but it didn't sound pretentious. It was also one that hadn't been used much since the beginning of the rebellion so there wasn't much baggage attached to it.

The got to the uniform shop during the last of the telephone conversation. The shop girl just waited patiently until they got done. "Ok, guys, what can I do for you?"

Heero put his phone on the counter so it wouldn't interfere with his measurements. "We need uniforms. Plain field uniforms, BDU/ACU, whatever initials they're known by now. Duo, what color?"

Duo thought about it for a moment. "Not camo. For what we're doing, Urban Camo isn't such a good idea. What about just a plain black, or navy blue?"

Heero nodded. "We both look smart in navy blue, black based. And our rank insignia will show up better."

The girl was just pulling stuff off shelves. "Ok, here's what we have. If you want dress, I'd recommend something in a semi-dress for office work and full dress is available as a special order. For everyday, BDU or ACU, available in black, blue/black, green, gray, and all camo conformations. If you'll step into the auto measuring booth I'll be ready to put the patches on, as soon as I know what you need."

Heero shrugged. "Blue/black. A fax should be coming in from WEI with all the particulars. Duo?"

Duo nodded, emptied his pockets and stepped into the booth. He wouldn't remove his hidden weapons as the uniform had to be tailored to hide them. The machine beeped after only a few seconds and Duo stepped out to be replaced by Heero. When the machine beeped again, the shop girl, whose name was, according to her name tag, Molly, typed something into the keyboard behind the counter. A machine in the back started up with a soft burr. It wouldn't take the automated machines long to cut, sew and finish their garments.

Heero nodded to a display of briefcases. "We need one of those. I don't like carrying files loose, I'll drop one sure as anything. And they're really handy in other ways too."

Duo examined several and settled on a soft sided, expandable Barrister style. Heero chose a more modern multi-pocketed style. They took their choices back to the register just in time to see their uniforms coming to the front on a dry cleaners overhead chain.

"Here we are. I'll just ask you to step into the booth to the side of the store." She pointed to one side of the store. "Right over there. I'd like to check the fit before I set up your files." She never knew how close she came to being shot or stabbed, or both. Neither Heero nor Duo had thought about having a file set up and their initial reaction to being on record was not good. Then Heero laughed, a bit hysterically, and said, "File, right, so you can make whatever we need without us having to come back in. Duo, we'll have to decide what else we need tonight."

Duo thought for a second. "We need four changes of what I'm calling Class 3, Class 2 is semi-dress, two of those, and Class 1 is full Medal I'm a War Hero, we'll only need one. What do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea, on both fronts. I'm tired of telling someone I want BDU's and having them tell me they're called ACD's, or ACU's. This will be WEI's official description of their uniforms."

Molly looked a bit alarmed. "I'm not sure you can do that. What if ... I'm not sure."

Heero took mercy on her. "I'm Heero Yuy, type that in quickly, you'll need it on my record. And that's Duo Maxwell. We're WEI's GoTo team. If we decided to call the dress uniform Alice, Quatre would just nod. So, did you get the number of uniforms and types?"

Molly just nodded, a slightly dazed look on her face. Duo headed for the dressing room, a grin on his face. When he came out of the dressing room, Heero gave a wolf whistle. Duo looked clean, neat, official and hot with a capital H.

His trousers fit snugly from waist to mid thigh then bloused just enough, the dark boots showed off a trim ankle. The shirt was loose, but not too loose, it showed hints of the muscular chest beneath and the t-shirt that peeked out at the neck emphasized his long neck.

He turned, arms out slightly. "Well, what do you think?"

"You look great. Let me try mine on."

Heero ducked into the tiny room and quickly stripped off his t-shirt and jeans. When he came out all Molly could do was gulp. The uniform fitted Heero much like Duo's fitted him. The difference was in their body shape. Duo was built like a runner or swimmer. Heero was built like a martial artist or a wrestler. His shoulders were broad, waist narrow. His powerful thighs encased in the blue/black material rippled as he walked and his biceps bulged enough when he bent his arm that the material caressed his muscle. Duo sighed.

"Sorry, Molly, he's all mine. Wipe your chin."

Molly giggled. "Sorry. You're both gorgeous. No harm in looking."

Heero over heard the last of the conversation. "No harm looking, just don't touch." He smiled at Molly, taking the sting out. "Send the rest of the order to our address. We'll wear this."

Molly nodded, asked if they wanted to pay by cash or credit card and was told to 'Bill Winner.' She sighed again. Not only were they cute as hell, they had to be rich. She grumbled as they walked out the door, "Why can't I find a nice guy like one of them?"

.

It took about twenty minutes to make it back to Wonder Tours exit bay. Heero used the time to check his facts, reciting the numbers and other data to Duo. Duo listened quietly. When they got to the bay they both had all the data they needed to start questioning.

Heero held the door open and Duo stepped through it. They swept the entire bay, giving it a once over before they actually entered the premises. Everything looked normal so they walked in.

"Hello, gentlemen, I've been waiting for you. This way, please." The Junior PV of the company started to lead them through the bay. Heero glanced and Duo who shook his head. Heero followed Duo's lead and kept his mouth shut.

The ripple of heads turning followed them through the bay and into the office. Duo felt his shoulder blades crawl and he noticed that Heero's shoulders stiffened.

"Here's a nice office for you to use. I understand that you're the troubleshooters sent by WEI. It's nice that you boys get an apprenticeship and a bit of experience. I'll get you two a couple of sodas. How's that?"

Duo rolled his eyes at Heero who just snorted. "I'd appreciate a cup of green tea, if you could manage it. Duo?"

"Coffee, black, strong, hot. In my office, which is ... there." Duo pointed to the office across the hall. "We can't do interviews two in a room. Won't work. And keep your secretaries from interrupting every interview. Tell people if they want coffee or something, they need to bring their own and give them time to do it. Got me?"

Heero just glowered at the man.

"Now you see here. That's the Senior VP in charge's office. You can't just commandeer it."

Duo shrugged. "It'd be better if we held the interviews here, but I'm sure Quatre will give us offices in the WEI complex. But that means that you have to pay your people door-to-door. It's the law. So ... up to you."

The VP nearly pouted but he gave a grudging nod and left to send a secretary with their drinks and their first interviews. The drinks were perfect, the secretary very proper and the interviews ... difficult was a good word.

Duo's first was fairly easy, the man recognized him and just spilled the beans, telling Duo everything he could think of and announcing that he had a nut and was using it, he just wasn't sure where he was going. Duo handed him the card of WEI Personnel Hiring Department. He wrote his name on the back of the card. "This'll get you a job. You have to keep it for yourself."

"Thanks. I won't forget."

"Yeah, you're gonna be cussin' me soon. You'll probably have to go to court."

The man shrugged. "That's ok. If they won't let me leave the station, they'll have to feed me until the trial is over. See you around." The man walked out, nodding to Duo's next interview.

Heero's first interview was not satisfying at all. He settled at his desk, took a sip of tea and buzzed for his first interview to be shown in.

The man who was shown in was a company man with a capitol C. He started in before he even got seated.

"Look, I don't know what you've been told ... damn, you're nothing but a kid. I'm not going to be interviewed by some little boy. See you around."

Heero just looked up from the file he'd been looking at. "I'd suggest that you seat yourself and answer my questions. Your company President has oked these proceedings, cooperate please. I won't give you the 'or it'll be the worse for you' bullshit."

The man hesitated at the door, eyeing Heero doubtfully. Heero stood and all of a sudden the room was full of menace, he didn't even raise his voice. "Sit! Down!" The man sat.

"I'm not a little kid. I never was a little kid. I'm going to ask you questions. You're going to answer those questions. Are we clear?" The man nodded. "Good. I don't care if you support the company or not. I will get honest answers. Clear?" Heero glanced at another file. "Owen." Heero waited as the man settled himself back in the chair, a rebellious expression on his face.

The rest of the interview didn't go much better. Heero asked his questions in a hard voice, Owen had an excuse for every question. And most of the excuses were, "That's what the handbook says." or "Company policy, as stated in memo" followed by a string of numbers and letters. Heero just bulled his way through the interview outline then told Owen to get out.

He met with Duo in the hall.

"How did your interview go?"

Duo shrugged. "Not too bad. But we're going to have some real trouble here. Most of the people we need to interview are not going to be cooperative. At least, not at first."

Heero sighed. "I had to glare my guy into cooperating, then all he did was quote company policy until I wanted to shoot him."

Duo laughed softly. "But the important thing is, you didn't. You can think all you want, when it gets put into action, that's when they think you're crazy."

Heero stuck his nose in the air. "I have it on the best information that I'm not crazy, I'm asocial. There's a difference."

Duo chuckled then pointed down the hall. "Looks like our next interviews are here."

"Ugh. Not happy, not happy at all."

"So? Let it show. Believe me, you have an impressive not happy face."

.

Heero glared at the next person to enter the room. The woman backed up a step and said, "Woah there, I didn't do anything to deserve that face, yet."

Heero sighed. "Sorry, my last interview was ... shall we say, less than successful?"

"I bet. Owen is such a kiss ass. He must love the smell of shit. So, what's going on? Something bad for Wonder Tours I hope?"

"Could be. Depends on what we find out in these interviews. So, what can you tell me about these questions." Heero just pushed the list of questions across the table, his instincts telling him that he didn't need to pump this woman.

She eyed the list then laughed. "Ok, first my name is Hazel. My jacket is right there, with a red label on it. I'm a big mouth and I complained about the corner cutting and cut backs on maintenance until I nearly got fired. I don't have a nut so I couldn't afford to lose my job. But, I can tell you, I was saving like crazy. So, here's the whole thing in a nutshell... The cutbacks were endangering our customers. The suits weren't getting sanitized like they should have been and the tanks weren't getting flushed, just topped up. Safety checks weren't being done on time and minimal ones when they were done. I wrote it all up as it went down. Would you like a download of it? Save a lot of time."

Heero nodded. "That would be good. Are there many more like you?" Hazel just nodded. "Hummm. I could guarantee a nut to anyone who testifies. It won't prejudice our case any as that's a standard procedure when you take a job with WEI. Mr. Winner doesn't like to think of anyone being forced to keep a job they don't like. It's taken out of your paycheck in payments of approximately 5 of the net. If you have to use it before it's paid off, arrangements are made. So, here's a card. Go speak to the person on the front, my signature on the back assures you of a job, you have to keep it for yourself."

Hazel grinned. "Great. I really appreciate this. I'll go down there as soon as we complete the download." Hazel handed Heero the postage stamp size USB drive and waited until he downloaded her files. He handed her back her unit and she stood up, turning at the door she said, "See you in the movies." and left.

Heero gazed after her and wished that all his interviews would be so easy.

Duo, on the other hand, was wishing he could go Shinigami on the woman he was interviewing. She was one of those haughtily insolent types that set his teeth on edge.

He spent a bit of time trying to sooth her ruffled feathers and failed. She didn't want to be interviewed and she wasn't going to make the process pleasant ... for either of them. Duo finally just snapped, "Look, I understand that you don't want to be interviewed, you feel that you're much put upon to be interviewed by someone as young as me and that you want to make this as unpleasant as possible. But all you're doing is annoying the fuck out of me. A thing you really don't want to do. I have a lot of patience but when it's gone, bad things happen. Shinigami comes out to play. And you really don't want to meet him." He raised his eyes to her face and the cold, blank look in them made her change her mind and start babbling. She told Duo everything he wanted to know and then some. She even knew where some files were that hadn't been copied to the main frame. Duo let her go with relief.

He went to copy the files onto his jump drive and met with a bit of resistance from the on-site programmer. He just ran over the man like he wasn't there, figuratively speaking. He elbowed the man aside announcing, "Look pal, if I manage to fuck this two bit system up, I'll fix it. In fact, I may have to fix it to get the files to download at all. Who the hell is maintaining this mess?" He fiddled a bit, downloaded the files he wanted and E-mailed them to Heero as well. Then he eyed the on-site. "You know the basic maintenance schedule for a system like this?" The man nodded. "So, when is the last time it was done?"

"Haven't the foggiest. I'm not IT, I'm just a glorified Data Entry Clerk. It's not my job."

Duo just shrugged. "So, whose job is it?"

"Donno, just not mine. You should ask the bay supervisor. He might know."

Duo contacted the secretary assigned to both Heero and him. She said she'd set up an interview with the bay super as soon as she could manage. Duo stuck his head in Heero's door and told him what was going on. Heero nodded, looked up from his notes on his latest interview and said, "Things are going well here. I don't think we need to actually interview as many people as we thought. Most of the people I've been interviewing are either not suitable or want to talk so badly that I can't shut them up."

"Same here. Why don't you finish the interviews? Anyone uncooperative can just be dismissed as soon as that's clear. I'm going to interview the bay supervisor, see what he has to say. The computers aren't being maintained properly either. So ... there's got to be data in the locals that haven't made their way to the mainframe yet. We may have hit a gold mine. If we can get to it without prejudicing our case."

Heero nodded. "That drives me nuts. We have to be so careful collecting intel now. One wrong move and it's inadmissible. Sucks."

"It really does." Duo left again. Heero returned to his notes and his fuming, all he really wanted to do was be done with this. He was really getting tired of being polite.

It took them most of the rest of the day to finish Heero's interviews and Duo's file searches. Duo asked the secretary several times when he could interview the bay super, she finally admitted that she couldn't find him. Duo eyed Heero then just walked out of the office and into the bay.

"Ok, people, this is the low down. I want to talk to the on-duty bay supervisor, now! Not in ten minutes or A-SAP. Now!"

Heads turned and people shivered, some even recognized that voice. Shinigami was very near the surface and even Heero was concerned.

The super showed up at once, he'd been ignoring the secretarie's calls because he thought he was too busy to answer a bunch of questions asked by some kids. He barely glanced at Heero or Duo, he just started running his mouth. "Look, I got a lot to do, I don't have time to answer a bunch of questions from trainees, when the real guns show up, I'm available. Not until."

Heero sighed, hid his eyes with one hand and waited. Duo, on the other hand, pulled out the nasty voice. "Look, pal, I'm no trainee, Heero and I are the real deal. So get your head out of your ass, get it in the office and be prepared to answer every question we have in detail. Excruciating detail. You're real close to breathing a scab right now. Move it."

The super took a good look at Duo, turned so pale his freckles stood out like specks of chocolate and headed for the office at a quick trot, muttering, "Oh, shit, I am so fucked."

Heero just pointed to the chair before the desk while Duo went into the smaller office and fetched Heero's chair for him. Then both Heero and Duo settled, side by side, behind the desk.

"Ok, first thing, what the hell is your name?"

The super gulped, stammered then said, "Glen Henderson. Look ... um"

Duo held up a hand. "Save the apologies, we don't need them. We need facts, something you don't seem to want to give us."

"Well, see, I thought you was just two kids that got sent here for preliminary interviews. I don't have time for that shit. I got a whole bay to keep going, and I'm short handed. We got to get all those suits up to speck, now. Admin wants it all done yesterday. I know the company is in real trouble, WEI doesn't fool around. And shit rolls down hill."

Heero just eyed the man, glanced at Duo and said, "Why don't you just tell us everything from the start?"

So Glen started talking, and talking. He didn't tell them anything new, it was just more of the same, but it was conformation from middle management that everything the grunts were saying was true. They took notes, lots of notes.

.

Quatre read the reports that Duo and Heero presented and called his legal department. He handed over the reports, data chips and printouts. "Sue them until they cry."

Trowa just smiled, handed the file to one of the waiting secretaries and said, "Chang Wufei please."

Quatre looked at Trowa, tears in his eyes. "There was no need for that boy to die. All they had to do was follow the recommended maintenance schedule, poor as that was. I want to know how it got watered down like that. And I want it fixed. Find out who wrote that manual."

Trowa just smiled. "Meli, don't cry. I know they did wrong and we'll figure this all out. Now, we need to find out what to do for the family. I'll do some poking around and find out more about him, shall I?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes, you're right, done is done. I'll send the family a letter myself. But right now, I just want to go home."

Trowa sighed, Quatre was a great deal more upset than he was letting on, for a lot of reasons. He was going to have to be alert, Quatre never let on but he could worry himself sick. Trowa knew his job was to be sure that he didn't.

"Ok, love, let's go home."

.

Wufei examined all the evidence, the files, the interviews and the logs. He spent a bit of time going through the pertinent laws of ESUN and the colony regulations. He wrote up his motion and sent it to the Clerk of Courts to be put on the docket. He didn't expect to hear back as quickly as he did, it only took an hour to show. He eyed the document printing out from his local printer with a jaundiced eye, he was tired and wanted to go to bed. He hadn't realized that the court complex was across the station from him and thus in the middle of its business day instead of near the end. He sent a confirmation of receipt and left for bed.

Milliardo greeted him at the door with a smile and a cup of tea.

"So, what's the word on the suit mess?"

"WEI is suing the pants off Wonder Tours, not that it'll do much good financially, they're already in chapter 13. I'm thinking of contacting the family and getting them to sue as well. But right now all I want is my tea and a kiss or two."

Milliardo smiled and complied, several times. "You really do look tired. Supper will be ready in just a couple of minutes. Chicken and vegetables, rice, salad. Fruit for after. I've also got a nice bit of sharp cheddar and some apples. Come sit down."

Wufei gratefully accepted Milliardo's invitation and flopped rather gracelessly into a chair. He bent over and pulled his shoes off, dropping them by the chair.

"How's this going on the PR front?"

Milliardo made a face. "Not that badly, as things like this go. I managed to point the press in the right direction and Galactic is in PR hell, Wonder Tours should be front page tomorrow. Quatre can be a real bastard when he wants to be."

Wufei snickered at the thought of anyone calling the 'sweet, gentle' Quatre a bastard. Only people who'd never fought with or against him would dream of calling him a push over. "I can only say 'ouch' with all sincerity. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. You know Quatre is going to destroy them."

Milliardo pulled the tie off his loose pony tail and shook out his hair. "They deserve it. I have no patience with corporations that pull stunts like this. A boy died, and all because they were more concerned with the bottom line than people. It's not right. How much are you suing for?"

"I'm not sure yet. I sent in a preliminary motion, I'll have to see what Quatre wants to do about the monetary end of things. I'm also looking into pressing criminal charges. Reckless endangerment at the very least. Manslaughter is looking good too. I just need to pin down who's responsible for the company policy on suit maintenance. I've already gotten back a reply. I didn't even look at it. I'm too tired to do it right, so I came home. I'll get a good night's sleep and be ready in the morning."

Milliardo nodded. "Ok, I'd really like for you to pin down who you're going to hold responsible in the criminal case. I need to put the proper spin on the whole thing before the company can get there first."

"I'll make a decision within the next two or three days. I need to talk to Q and Duo and Heero before I make up my mind. I want to get the responsible party, not a scapegoat." He gave Milliardo a hopeful look. "Food soon? I'm starving into nothing here."

Milliardo laughed at him and clambered to his feet. "I'll check the oven. It should be done. I haven't heard the cooker ding yet though."

Wufei raised an enquiring eye brow. "I timed it so that the rice cooker would ding about the time the chicken will be done." A loud ding interrupted them. "Ha! There it is. Supper on the table in about five minutes. Why don't you put the flat ware down and get some water while I dish up."

"Ok. Is there more tea? If there is I'll put you out a cup, shall I?"

Milliardo nodded. "The pot's still almost full. I'd appreciate a cup. How hungry are you?"

"Very. I forgot lunch." Wufei set the table and settled in his place, waiting for Milliardo to bring the plates.

"Here you go. What do you think are our chances of winning a settlement of some kind?"

Wufei swallowed his chicken. "Very good. Our chances as well as the chicken. I think we've already got Galactic on the ropes. We'll see in the morning. I'm pretty sure Quatre will call a meeting." Just as he finished speaking the phone rang.

Milliardo picked up and just announced his name. He listened for a moment then said, "Tomorrow morning, our time, 9am. We'll be there." He returned to the table with a feral grin. "Quatre's on the warpath big time. Meeting of all Gundam Pilots at 9am. Bring your case files."

Wufei stabbed a bit of chicken. "Why don't I feel sorry for them?"

"Quatre is going to roast them over a slow fire, just as they deserve."

O

Not the best place to stop, but if I don't stop here the chapter will be too long to post.


	6. Chapter 6

BANL 6

BANL 6

Milliardo looked over the reporters gathered in the meeting room he'd arranged. The station had hundreds of them, from tiny rooms just big enough for a grieving family to rooms so large they echoed with hundreds in them.

This room was just the right size for a gathering of reporters from newspapers and vid feeds from all over ESUN. There were about fifty of them and Milliardo knew that, if he let things get out of hand, they'd eat him alive.

He stepped out onto the stage, a microphone in his hand. He'd decided against a podium because that pinned him in one place. This way he could walk around, get closer to the questioner and let everyone get a good look at the 'Platinum Prince' a title he hated, or found amusing, depending on his mood.

He addressed the group in his best parade ground voice, ignoring the microphone for the moment.

"Attention, everyone! Before we begin there are a few rules to be explained. One, I am _not _Relena! You will not run over me like you do her. I will point at the person allowed to ask a question. Only that person will speak. If you interrupt too many times, you will be shown the door. No exceptions! Two, you don't need to shout, you will be given a microphone. When you are requested to relinquish the mic, do so at once. If you ask a question after you've been asked to hand the mic on, you will not be answered. Three, if I say 'no comment' that means no comment, move on. If you don't, you'll be asked to relinquish the mic. If you don't, see rule two. Four, do not ask a question that has already been asked. I have a very good memory and you won't get past me. If I've refused to answer the question for someone else, I certainly won't answer it for you. Now, I won't ask if there are any questions because that's what we're all here for. So... First question?"

Milliardo stood at parade rest and waited until one of his assistants handed a microphone to one of the reporters. He had no idea how they chose and really didn't care. He also had no idea what he looked like, standing on the stage in his pseudo-uniform of navy blue double breasted jacket and pants.

"Good day, Prince Peacecraft."

Milliardo raised the microphone to his mouth for the first time. "I am not a prince. I relinquished my crown years ago. You may call me Colonel Peacecraft. That is the rank I hold in WEI Security. As do all the other pilots." He had to laugh slightly as several faces fell. This was one question that had already been answered several times but someone had to ask every time, like the answer was going to change. "Please continue."

"Thank you. This explosion, what caused it, exactly?"

Milliardo grimaced to himself. Trust a civilian to get it all wrong. "First, it wasn't an explosion, per sei **(se)**, it was an explosive decompression. There is a small but significant difference. In an explosion, superheated gasses burn, all sorts of things could cause this. But what we had here was an explosive decompression. A popped stitch in one of the seams let go, this caused the air to rush out through the gap all at once. The suit actually jetted into space. The occupant died of suffocation and exposure to space. A very nasty way to go."

There was a murmur from the reporters then the speaker handed the mic to the next person to ask a question.

"Thank you. Um... You said that it was just a popped stitch. What exactly is that?"

Milliardo quashed the urge to swear with a ruthless hand. "It's exactly what it sounds like. When you over-stress a seam; like a, say, size 10 trying to squeeze in to a size six, the stitching will break. Pressure suits are under a great deal more stress than the aforementioned incident, stitches pop, but a simple re-stitching will take care of it. If it's done in a timely manner. There are inspection and maintenance schedules in the owners manuals. This schedule lists minimum, optimum and required maintenance, on some stations and colonies it's illegal to do less than the optimum. On this one, unfortunately, it's not."

Another reporter accepted the mic, they seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement of one question per person. "I see. So, what's next for WEI? I hear that someone is suing them."

"No, no one is suing WEI. WEI is suing the Wonder Tours/Galaxy Tours group. And we're also looking at charges of murder by conspiracy. That charge to include top executives and some middle management. To Wit, the people who passed down orders to water down the inspection and maintenance schedules and the people who implemented them."

There was a soft rumble of speech which rose to a babbling roar, Milliardo had known that his statement was going to make a splash. He hadn't expected a riot, which was what he was getting.

He waited what he considered a reasonable length of time, then requested attention. He didn't get it. He called for their attention again, and again, he didn't get it.

"SILENCE!!" Milliardo's parade ground bellow startled the entire population of the room into complete silence. "Thank you. If there is a reasonable and intelligent question somewhere in this disgraceful display, I'd like to hear it." He glared around. "Take your time."

There were a few shamefaced looks, but most of the people in the room started to yell again; all of them at Milliardo. He stood, straight-backed and furious, for a few more moments then started pointing. "Him, him, her, him, her, and ... her. Out! Now!" Security started pulling the worst offenders out of the crowded room and ushering them to the door.

Of course, they objected, loudly. They wound up out the door anyway. Other reporters objected and were told that they could leave, too. After the ejections and departure of the others, the room quieted drastically.

"Now that that's taken care of; does anyone have an intelligent question, or do you all want to scream and carry on like two-year-olds again?"

After some shifting and muttering, one man was chosen, he stepped into a small open area and held out his hand for a mic. He shifted from foot to foot, cleared his throat and finally asked, "I understand that ... WEI is under the gun, so to speak, but don't you think that attempting to charge them with murder is a bit extreme?"

"No, I don't. The executives of Galaxy Tours increased the amount of time between inspections and refused to flush the air tanks properly, all in the name of profit. Those popped stitches wouldn't have been a problem, if they'd been repaired at once. As it was, they were allowed to continue to gap until the seam ruptured. The air tanks are another problem. If they aren't flushed properly, they stink, they become contaminated with all sorts of gasses. If you want the names, there's a handout at the end of the interview. The contaminants are bad enough, but they also didn't fill the tanks after every tour. This left some of the tourists without sufficient air for the emergency. It's all neglect and greed. Next."

Milliardo fielded nit-picking questions for the next thirty minutes. He was polite but put up with absolutely no nonsense.

He glanced at his watch and decided that it was time to call an end to the conference. "One more question, then we'll end it."

The woman stood up, elegant and arrogant. "I don't understand how you can say WEI will sue anyone. Winner is just a child, spoiled and foolish. This tantrum is only going to prove WEI needs a stronger hand at the wheel. He obviously doesn't understand profit and loss at all."

Milliardo raised an eyebrow at her. "Quatre Raberba Winner is one of the strongest _men_ I know. He is very well versed in business and understands profit and loss quite well. He also understands that profit and loss are one thing, human life another entirely. There is no profit in the loss of human life. WEI is suing in order to make an example of people who put money above human life. And the charges of murder will stick. Now, I believe we've covered everything. This interview is at an end."

Many of the reporters started to leave and quite a few got completely out the door, some didn't want to leave yet. These few started shouting questions at Milliardo. He glanced around the room then leaned to an aide, "Get the names of all of these people. I'll not tolerate this sort of behavior. It might be acceptable to someone who needs to cater to the illiterati, I'm not one of them. They are not to be allowed into any interviews in future. Understand?"

The aide just smiled slightly, gave a sort of semi-salute and murmured, "Yes, sir. I understand completely, sir. And may I just say, good for you. This sort of chaos doesn't serve any purpose except to cater to the egos of a bunch of ... I'm not sure what."

Milliardo bowed slightly and whispered back, "Precisely." He strode to the door, back erect, hair flowing around him.

.

Wufei met him at the door to their quarters. "That was magnificent. I'm so glad you didn't put up with their idiocy. What a scene at the end! Most amusing."

Milliardo sighed and kicked off his boots. "Help me off with this tunic. I'm exhausted. The strain of not telling them what I thought was ... outrageous."

Wufei helped Milliardo get out of his suit and into some comfortable sweats. He knew how hard it was to have to dress in something uncomfortable then be polite to a bunch of idiots. He was still working on getting Clan Chang on it's feet, so he was also doing double duty.

Wufei had thought that his repudiation of the Clan Council would be the end of things. It wasn't. The clan elders had thrown themselves on his mercy and begged him to at least help them establish some sort of new government. He'd agreed, so he was spending more time than he wanted in formal robes and conferences. Milliardo gave him a grimace of sympathy and a kiss.

"Have you worked on our suit? How does it look?"

Wufei gave Milliardo a look that Milliardo privately called his 'feral dragon' look. "So far I've managed to figure out who, exactly, is responsible for the actual wording of the owners manual, they're in hot water up to their necks. The executives who decided that the minimum inspections and maintenance schedules were too much have also been identified. I sent a petition for arrest warrants to a judge. WEI is going to handle the arrests itself. Facilities are being provided by the local constabulary. Things are moving."

"Good, good. I hear Duo and Heero are going to be involved. I find that... interesting."

Wufei grinned at Milliardo while handing him a cup of coffee. "Oh, it's a great deal more than interesting, they're going to be heading the arrest teams _and _testifying at any and all trials."

Milliardo snorted into his cup of coffee. "I wish I could be there. But I've got to go..." he thought for a moment. "Where the hell do I have to be?"

Wufei poured himself a cup of tea from the companion to the coffee thermos on the table. "Have no idea. I have to be on L5-Diego, the clan elders want another meeting with me."

"Do you have to? They're still trying to get you to return to the clan and I don't like it."

Wufei smiled at the definite whine in Milliardo's voice. "Yes, I have to. It's my duty. But don't be afraid that they'll convince me to come back to them. I'm all yours."

"Until you have to go to another meeting."

Wufei shook his head. "This is the last one. I promised myself that they could have exactly four and not one more. This is the fourth one. You want to come too and stand at my back? I'd really appreciate it. They seem to think that, if they show me enough pretty young girls, I'll change my orientation; just to please them. Idiots!"

Milliardo sighed. "I need a social secretary. I swear, I'm going to turn my whole schedule over to Trowa and let him arrange it to suit. I'll go with you, whatever it takes."

"Thank you."

Wufei settled against Milliardo's shoulder and sipped at his tea. This was the thing he had always longed for the most, not the hot, sweaty sex, although that was most gratifying, no, he'd longed for the quiet moments where he and his lover just sat together and did nothing. He sighed happily and Milliardo kissed the top of his head.

.

Duo examined the paperwork then handed it to Heero. "Check it over. I don't want any mistakes. None."

Heero just grunted and took the papers. He also examined them carefully, checking that 'all the i's were dotted and the t's crossed'. When he was satisfied, he handed the papers back to Duo.

For this mission, Duo was team leader, Heero's job was to back him up. Heero didn't care which position he took, he just wanted to get the people who'd nearly killed them both. Whatever it took.

Duo looked over his shoulder, the backup team all looked like junior executives, suit and tie types. They weren't, they were some of the best that WEI had. Some of them had even been trained by them, on Earth. He nodded and walked up to the door of the Galaxy Tours building.

He took a deep breath and showed his badge to the guard on the door. "Maxwell, Duo. Acting in behalf of WEI. We've got some people to pick up. I'd appreciate it if you didn't sound any alarms."

The guard gave Duo's credentials a glance then just opened the door with a nod.

Heero muttered, "Well, that was easy."

Apparently the man had overheard him, as he said, "I'm not crazy about any of the execs that you're after. And I like my head where it is. Help yourselves."

Duo led the way into the building, past the information desk and right up to the hostess stationed by the elevators.

"I'm lookin' for these people." He handed a complete list to her.

She looked at it for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir, most of these people are senior executives. They don't see anyone without an appointment."

"Don't much care. I want to see them." He turned to his group. "You and you, station yourselves where you can see the stairs and the elevators. If you can't both see them, make sure one of you sees stairs and the other elevators. Make sure you can see each other. Go!" The men hurried to station themselves as they'd been instructed. "You three, garage. No one out until I say. Go!" They opened the stairs and disappeared.

Duo turned back to the hostess. "Now... Janet, we see the execs privately or we cause a great big, huge scene. Your decision."

Janet bit at her lip for a moment. "Ok, I don't want trouble for interfering with an investigation or something. This way." She led the way to a different bank of elevators and inserted a key card.

Duo knew that, if they didn't work fast, half their quarry would escape like rats from a sinking ship. He decided to catch the king rat first. "President's suite first."

"Yes, sir. We'll have to change elevators. Um... If I might?"

Heero grunted, he was getting a nasty feeling about this. If they didn't move fast, they could be out of luck. He grabbed Duo. "I have to get to a terminal, now! Someone may try to delete their files."

"Go. I'll start the pick up."

Heero just entered a nearby office, pulled a protesting man out of his chair and sat down. One if the team stopped the man and explained exactly what was going on then hauled him along with the main part of the team as they headed for the elevators.

As they trotted along Janet explained her idea. "See, the president's office is fairly isolated, I'll call Carrie, she hates Mr. McNulty. He's harassed her from the first. She needs her job so she can't protest. But this... she'll get a real kick out of it."

"And you're helping us, why?"

"Um... don't piss off the little people. When you need them, they won't be there. Do you have any idea the shit I put up with? Mostly from the senior executives? If I hear one more asshole ask me if I know who they are, I'll puke. Here's the deal ... Keep my name out of this, get me a good job somewhere else and I'll se that you catch every single one of them."

Duo just gave the woman an evil grin. "Done. You like WEI? Very nice place to work. I'll see you get a job. Keeping it is up to you."

"Fine. First thing, you need to shut down inter-office email. That way there's no way for anyone to sneak them a heads up."

One of the team members muttered, loudly, "Don't piss off the little people, it'll bite you in the ass sooner or later."

His friend rolled his eyes. "You bet your ass."

Heero rejoined them at a hard trot. "I blocked everything, in-coming, and out-going email, telephones are down." He held up a hand. "I know, it's a red flag. But how many senior executives actually pay any attention to why stuff doesn't work. I planted a popup that says the systems are down due to maintenance. That ought to hold everyone for at least an hour."

Duo snickered, hugged Heero and headed for the elevators again. Janet just sighed and followed. She just hoped his offer of a job was real. She'd burned her bridges here.

The group entered an elevator hidden in a side hall. Janet used her personal key card to open it. Heero frowned. She noticed and said, "All the elevators switch over to emergency operation when the computers go down. No one but authorized personnel can use or even open them. And no one on your list is authorized."

Duo looked suitably impressed. "You can remember all that?"

Janet shrugged. "I remember lots of stuff. What do you want to know?"

"Who's really responsible for this fiasco. Those suits are good suits, shouldn't have ruptured. We want to know who, why, and... you know... all that stuff."

"I'm not sure, I don't work near the engineering section. Let me make a call?"

Duo glanced at Heero, Heero just shrugged. "Ok. Heero can listen in?"

Janet just nodded and started dialing. "Clement, darling, how are you? ... Look, I got a bump of curiosity as big as a soccer ball. Who's who in the suit fiasco? Can you look it up for me? ... 'Puter's down? Well, don't sweat it. Get back to me when you can. ... I heard that the maintenance guy got his ass chewed out for not doing some picky thing or other. He's all in a snit and doing it right now. ... Why, Mr. Stiffey, language. My virgin ears." She laughed and hung up. "That man is the biggest gossip in the building. He'll tell Mary, who'll tell someone, who'll tell someone else, meanwhile Mr. Stiffey will be telling all his cronies all about it. Word will be all over the building in a matter of minutes. No one will think a thing about everything being down. Most of the 'little people', She made air quotes**,** "will sneak out and go home, leaving your ... I believe you call them targets, out of the loop entirely."

Duo grinned at her. "That's great. The elevators don't work so they'll all use the stairs, clogging them up. If I wasn't gay, I'd ask you out."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what does your sexual orientation have to do with buying me dinner?"

Heero snickered behind one hand, Duo smacked him on the arm. "Shut up. We'll take her out for something nice."

"Ok." Heero glanced at the floor indicator. "We almost there?"

Janet checked too. "Yeah, next floor. You guys ready?"

Heero glanced at the other team members, getting nods from them all he turned to Duo. "Ready, let's do it."

Janet showed them, right on the elevator map screen, where each office was. She'd brought them to the lower most floor in the series they were going to be on. This way they could leave a man to watch the elevators and the stairs to make sure that no one on their list slipped out.

Heero fussed with his computer then deployed the view screen. "I got it. Here are pictures of everyone we're after. Take a good look so you'll recognize them if they try to slip away."

Everyone looked at the pictures, then Heero appointed the watchers and headed the rest of the group toward their first pick up.

It was right through the first door next to the elevators. The receptionist did her best to get between them and the door, but Duo just caught her in his arms, whirled around, using her own inertia, and pushed her into the arms of the man right behind him. "Keep her out of trouble." The man just grabbed her and pulled her out of the line of fire.

They burst into the office in a flurry of uniforms and papers. Duo cornered the Jr. VP announced that he was under arrest, read him the charges and cuffed him. The man seemed a bit stunned and didn't put up much resistance. When he was led away he followed his keeper docilely.

Heero poked Duo. "Um ... where are we keeping them?"

Duo snarled, "Dammit! Didn't think of that. What now?"

Janet came to the rescue. "Look, there's a secure facility in the basement. It's for valuable cargo and whatnot. I think... if you get some men to watch it, it'll do for a few hours, until you can transport them somewhere else. Or ... you could just send them down to the executive garage and stuff them into your paddy wagons there."

Duo was already on his phone, correcting his oversight. He ordered the secure transports to line up in the executive garage and also ordered two guards, beside the driver, for each one.

"There, I don't know where the hell my head was."

Heero just shrugged. "We're really more used to going in, blowing stuff up, and getting out. No prisoners. This is the first time I've actually dealt with them. You?"

Duo laughed softly. "Me too. Oh, well, if that's the worst mistake I ever make, we're really going to be lucky. Come on. Next?"

Next was another Jr. VP. This one didn't want to go quietly despite the warrant. Duo got to fight him instead.

"I know Karate! You won't take me in."

Duo just eyed the slightly overweight, 40+ executive and shrugged. "Ok. But I'm warning you, there's only going to be two hits. I'll hit you, you'll hit the floor. So, take your best shot."

The man snorted, he was twice Duo's size and then some. He took his stance, Duo laughed. He launched a kick at Duo's head and wound up flat on his back with no idea how he'd gotten there. "Someone put some cuffs on the Karate Kid there." Duo sauntered to the door, braid swinging. "Oh, and tell him Shinigami is not amused." The snickers that followed Duo out the door angered their prisoner, until Shinigami finally clicked, then it was all they could do to keep him from fainting.

Heero checked the name off of his list, pocketed his PDA and announced, "The next three are on the same floor, one floor down and in the same office group." Heero looked around at the group. "We're down to four, plus the two of us. You want to wait on re-enforcements?"

Duo glanced around. "Don't know. Threat assessment?"

Heero sighed. "Not sure. If it was Oz, I'd say wait. But what kind of shape these guys are in? I couldn't say. Janet?"

Janet came through again. "Names?" Heero read them off to her. "Fat, slow, coward. In that order. I'd say grab them all at once. Each one of them should only take one man. There's six of you and me. I'm no good in a fight but I really don't think that these three together could take the weakest one of you."

Duo just nodded his thanks, counted his men off and assigned each team a man. He made sure that both he and Heero were paired with someone else. That put the strongest members with a weaker one, not that he thought it was necessary, but he'd established the protocols himself so he wasn't about to violate them.

It didn't take more than ten minutes to pick up their three targets. None of the men resisted after reading the warrants, in fact, one of them offered a deal right then and there. Duo told him to talk to the desk sergeant when he got 'downtown'.

Heero glanced out the glass doors and blinked, he took another look and said, "Duo, look. What the hell?"

Duo looked out the door and nearly jumped out of his skin. "This is just weird. If I'm not mistaken, at least half those people are on our list. I have no idea who the others are."

Janet looked the small crowd over. "Well, I think that's all the people on the list except for the VP in charge of the engineering group. And the one in charge of advertising. The rest are about half our legal department."

Duo snickered. Heero just nodded and told one of the men, "Line 'em up and hook 'em up. Tell the legal beagles they'll have to meet their clients at the station. I'll call for more men."

Duo put his head together with Heero and they decided to wait until all the small fry were gotten out of the way before they went for the big fish. It didn't take long, as all the men and women in the reception area were being very cooperative. In fact, most were on the verge of panic stricken.

It only took about twenty minutes to get them all cuffed and taken down to the loading area, into buses and on their way. Their lawyers accompanied them to the paddy wagons and then went to the station to wait for them to be booked and checked in. This cleared the area out almost completely.

There were only two people not on the team still in the area. One was Janet and the other was a man that neither Heero nor Duo knew. He wasn't on their list either.

"Who are you?" Duo just stared at the man, waiting for an answer.

"Um ... I'm Janet's ... boyfriend, sort of. What's going on here?" The man actually cringed under Duo's glare, but he stood his ground nonetheless.

"I'm Duo Maxwell, Colonel in WEI Security. We're handling the arrest of all the people complicit in the conspiracy to save money by neglecting suit maintenance."

"I ... sorry, my name's Ira Flanders. Why is Janet here? She hasn't done anything wrong."

Duo grinned. "Hey! Take it easy. Your girl is something special. She just jumped in and started helping out, the second she realized who we are. She's got a job at WEI in consequence. Relax."

Ira sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I was wondering how she could possibly have gotten involved in that mess. She had a tizzy..." Janet smacked him on the arm. "Ow! Well, you did. Anyway, she got really upset when she realized what had happened. I had to listen to one of her justice rants all evening, after it was on the news about the suit exploding."

Duo opened his mouth to explain that it hadn't exploded, exactly, Heero just patted his arm and told him softly to let it go. He decided to do that in favor of getting on with their mission.

"Ok, I see. We need to get going on the two biggies, before they figure out how to slip away."

Ira grinned. "I have a friend in security. He _accidentally_ triggered the emergency intrusion locks. No one can get out of the building unless they have a security key. And none of the people on your list, unless I'm sadly mistaken, have a key. None of the senior executives have them. They're supposed to be out of the building at the first sign of trouble. So ..." He gave Duo a big grin.

Duo grinned back. "We got 'em cornered. Thanks, man. Here." Duo handed him a card just like the one he'd given Janet. "We better go find our fish."

Heero pointed. "We take that elevator and go up to the top floor. Both our fish are on the same floor but in different suites. Shouldn't take much, unless one of them wants to make a shooting war out of it."

Janet snorted. "Not much chance of that."

Heero just grunted, "Good." and led the way.

They punched the floor number into the keypad and rode up in silence. Janet stayed at the back of the elevator with Ira holding her hand.

They stopped at the floor but the doors didn't open. Heero punched the 'Open Door' button, nothing happened. He glanced over his shoulder at Janet and Ira, Ira was on his phone and Janet was dialing.

Ira connected first. "Ok, seems our ... your last two pickups have barricaded themselves in their offices and locked the Executive elevator doors from someone's office computer. My guess is that Bradford did it. He's just about computer literate."

Duo nodded. "Ok. Thanks. Heero?"

Heero fiddled with his computer. "Nowhere to set this up. I need a flat space, and room enough to work. My PDA is powerful, but not adequate to this job. Ira, can you get someone to do it from their end?"

Ira shook his head. "Executive override. We're stuck in here until the lock is negated, or someone pries the door open. If we're not lined up right, we'll still be stuck."

Duo looked at Heero, who shrugged. "I can do it. And I don't think there's going to be a problem with the doors being misaligned. It's not a power failure, they shut them down."

Janet blinked at Ira. She whispered softly, "Can he really do it?" She didn't whisper soft enough.

Heero chuckled. "I can do it. I need a bit more room, though. Everyone scrunch back." Duo mouthed, 'scrunch?' at the man standing next to him, the man just shrugged.

They all moved as far back as they could and gave Heero room to work. He shoved his fingers into the crack between the doors and pulled. The minute he got a bit of space, Duo shoved his fingers into the larger crack too, crouching down to get room to work. Duo pulled hard, just managing to hold the room Heero had made. Heero got a better purchase, pulled again and they both had room to get a full hand into the space. And that was all it took, the doors opened as Heero pulled on one side and Duo on the other. They held the doors as their team poured into the open reception area.

The only person there was a very frightened looking older woman who held up her shaking hands and exclaimed, "Please, I'm only a receptionist, don't hurt me."

Duo nodded to Janet. "Take care of her. She's not who we want."

Janet hurried to the woman, murmuring reassurances. Ira followed and picked up a phone. "Damn, dead. I was going to call my friend and see if he couldn't undo the emergency locks on the suite doors."

Janet scowled. "And why don't you use your cell, as if I didn't know?"

"Dead bat. And don't give me that look. I plugged it into the charger cord last night."

"Did you plug the cord into the wall socket?" Ira gave her a shifty, shamefaced look and sighed. "No? Didn't think so. Lunk head." She gave him a fond look and her cell. He took it and started to dial. The crash of Heero applying his number nine to the door made him give up. The door collapsed inward in a shower of splinters. "Um ... never mind." Janet snickered softly.

Heero entered the office, papers in hand. He hadn't expected to meet with even this much resistance. He was really disgusted to see the man pointing a tazer at him.

"Oh, please. Do you really thing that thing is going to do you any good?"

"It's a tazer." The man eyed Heero like he was crazy.

"Mr. Damian, you're under arrest. I would suggest that shooting me with that thing will only add to your difficulties."

Duo, behind Heero, snorted. "Ya think? And is he even listening to you?"

Heero just watched as the man tried to use the tazer. He didn't know what he was doing and failed miserably. The tazer refused to fire.

"Um... you do know you have to take the safety off first, don't you?" Duo offered this advice in a sugary sweet helpful tone of voice that made someone snicker.

"Safety? What ... don't come near me!" Heero just pulled the tazer out of the man's hand and pocketed it. "See here. Do you know who I am?"

Duo helpfully handed the warrant to Heero who handed it on to Mr. Damian. "Sure do. And you're under arrest. Read the damn papers if you want to know why. Oh, and we're adding resisting arrest and attempted assault on an officer of the law. LEO's are sort of sensitive about that, you know." Duo's cheerful tone made Heero relax and everyone else think he was near snapping point.

Heero knew Duo's moods better than he knew his own. Duo was enjoying the man's discomfort. If he'd been ready to snap, his tone would have had that brittle edge that made even Wufei sweat.

Duo turned to Heero and smiled. "We ready?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah. We got him. Turn him over to someone to take down to the garage and we'll grab the other guy. Who'd have thought that a bunch of suits would be so much trouble?"

Duo laughed and shrugged. "Who'd have thought that five fifteen-year-old kids would win a war? Goes to show."

"True, too true." Heero laughed back and led the way to the other office. And more trouble.

This time it was serious, the man had a gun. Heero blocked the door with one arm. "He's armed." The soft words made the remaining members of the team stop behind him.

Duo hissed in annoyance. "What?"

Heero squinted for a moment. "Gas powered, small caliber handgun. Old. Very old. Collectable, might not fire at all. Depends on how old the ammo is."

Duo looked for Janet, she was in the very back of the group along with Ira. Ira was actually in front of her. He smiled at them and eased back to them.

"You know anything about this collection of his?"

Janet shook her head. "No, sorry. Um ... how dangerous is that gun."

Heero snorted. "One, it's a pistol. Two, it's small caliber. I need to know how old the ammo might be. Any ideas?"

Ira bit at his lip. "Jan, loan me your phone." She handed it over and he dialed, listened for a second then snapped, "Arden, I know you're there, and glued to the vid, pick up." He waited for a moment. "Arden, pick up! If you don't, I'll send Heero Yuy there to personally kick your fuckin' ass." He listened to a squeaking voice for a moment then handed the phone to Heero. "He wants to talk to you himself."

Heero put the phone to his ear and barked, "Hello! Yuy here!" The voice squeaked, Heero answered, "I don't care if the damn thing is legal or not. Do you know where he got the ammo?" He listened for a moment. "How old do you estimate it to be. ...Hn. That old?" Heero hung up. "Duo, he says it was in the box with the revolver when he sold it to ... what's 'is name? Never mind. He estimates that it's at least a hundred years old."

Duo bit his lip for a moment then started laughing. "Oh, hell, and here I was all worried and shit."

Heero moved to intercept Duo but he missed by about an inch. He snarled at the ma**n,** who'd moved at just the wrong moment, and pushed his way through the hovering people.

"Duo!"

Duo was right in the middle of the room, talking to their target. "Look, dude, I don't want to bust your bubble or nothin', but ... that ammo is about a hundred years old. And I'm not exaggerating. You shoot me with that thing and I find out about it ... I'll smack your ass. Now .. give me the gun and no one gets hurt." Duo held out his hand to the man.

It was ignored in favor of what Duo would later call, 'gross stupidity'.

"Do you know who I am?" Duo just shook his head, grinning madly. "I'm Mister Gerald Framingham. I'm the Senior Vice-President in charge of Operations. That's who I am. You have no right to do this to me. I was only doing my job. Go away. I'll call my lawyer."

"God, could you be more childish. What is this, the executive version of 'I'll tell my Daddy'?" Duo waggled his outstretched hand in a 'give it to me' gesture that was met with a small explosion. Duo jumped, then just took one step forward and punched the man square in the jaw.

"I don't believe it! That asshole shot me! Damn, that stings!" Duo was outraged. "Hey, Heero! That cock-sucker actually pulled the trigger."

Heero just sighed, rubbed his face and grumbled. "Fuck, someone call a medic."

There were yells of 'Medic!' and some scrabbling as someone rummaged in their pack for bandages and Quick-clot. Heero got out of the way as Duo ambled out of the door, one hand pressed to his chest.

"You better see to him. I think I broke his jaw. Fucker shot me! I don't believe it. Asshole."

Heero pulled Duo out of the door way and ripped his shirt open. Underneath Duo wore a bullet proof vest, unlike the old fashioned ones from the 20th and 21st centuries, these were actually proof against any pistol or rifle up to .50 cal. And were also proof against stabs. Heero pealed the Velcro straps open and eased the vest away from Duo's chest. Right in the middle of his left pectoral a bruise about the size of a five euro was turning a dark blue.

A medic pushed Heero aside and started to fuss with Duo. Duo just took the man's hands in his own and said, "Hey! Easy there, I'm fine. You better go in that office and take care of ... what's his name? I broke his jaw. Asshole shot me with an antique firearm. Go, shoo."

Heero just sighed. "Damn it, Duo."

Duo gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I'm ok, though."

They watched as their crew took their last prisoner away to the hospital.

.

Wufei glanced around the station house. It was crowded with people. They stood around in small clumps babbling like chickens. He was glad it was a small room. He checked his clipboard and nodded to himself. They were arresting exactly twenty people, most of them had surrendered when they heard there were warrants out. He was expecting at least triple that number to be involved due to lawyers and other hangers on.

Milliardo eased in behind Wufei, put his arms around him and whispered in his ear, "Should you be here? Conflict of interest?"

"Not a problem. I'm acting as advocate for WEI. I'm just checking my list against the list of who actually got picked up." He gave Milliardo a look of undisguised glee. "We got all of them. Now all we have to do is figure out what charges we can actually make stick. And find out who wrote that piece of stupidity they laughingly call a manual."

"I'm on that one." Milliardo glanced at his watch. "And ... I have to go right now." They shared a quick hug and went their ways.

Milliardo took the nearby slide way to the WEI offices here on the colony and a shuttle to the new colony, Mina Hurr. Quatre had already moved the Headquarters of WEI there, over the protests of some of the employees. Milliardo was ready to move there and stay.

He liked the new colony, even though it was nowhere near done. It was a work in progress as Quatre said. It wouldn't be finished for another 50 years or so, but it was habitable now.

The hub was complete, having been constructed in sections, welded together then 'wound up'. Putting the spin on the hub to establish gravity had been nerve wracking and the reason that Quatre and Trowa had been absent from Earth so much. Milliardo was still a bit angry about missing the event.

He stared at the colony through the shuttle port and sighed. Right now, it was nothing more than a glorified cylindrical station, but it's promise showed. The medical station he'd just left housed nearly 50,000 people, this colony housed nearly twice that and would house more than six times that when the first ring was completed. It would be twice the size of the colony that had been here, before Clan Chang's Elders destroyed it. He worried that Wufei would have issues about that, but he was going to have to wait and see. A thing he really hated.

Now, he was going to go to the HQ of WEI and get some answers. Quatre had given him complete authority to handle his questioning any way he wanted. He intended to take a hard nosed attitude to it. He was _not_ going to put up with a bunch of shit from some snot nosed ad exec.

.

After checking in at the main desk, Milliardo went to Quatre's office and asked to see him. Quatre, it seemed, was out at one of the construction sites and wouldn't be in until after noon. Milliardo asked the secretary if arrangements had been made for him to use an office.

After checking her computer, she said that one had been set aside for him. She told him the level and room number. He asked her to notify Quatre that he was in his assigned office, when it wouldn't distract him. He also used his cell to send Quatre a text message. He wasn't about to call him when he had no idea if the call might distract Quatre at a bad time.

He took an elevator to the level containing his office, noting the unfinished construction and blank areas where nothing had been done at all. He knew the glass elevator was one of Quatre's little affectations, He liked for the executives to see how construction was going.

Milliardo approached the desk and said, softly, "Hello. Is this my temporary office?"

The woman looked up and replied, "Milliardo Peacecraft?" Milliardo raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Right there. You're the only VIP in residence right now so you've got the whole lot of us available. What can I do for you?"

Milliardo handed her a data chip. "Load this into my desk top and start contacting the people on the list in appendix c. Get some security up here just in case I have trouble. I don't want to have to handle it by myself. That's the way someone gets hurt."

The woman stood up, held out her hand to be shaken and said flatly, "There's no trouble on my watch. I _am_ security. You think you'll need more than just me?"

Milliardo blinked at the power of her grip. She didn't try to crush his hand but she let him feel her grip. "Might. Read the file summary and decide for yourself. As of now, you're my chief of security, until Duo or Heero takes over. I'll just go in and start my preliminary."

"You do that. I'll get the files loaded, read that summary and send out notifications. I'll make proper appointments for these guys, I think. That'll allow us a bit more control over who's here and what's going on. Oh, by the way, my name is Cherish Thompson."

Milliardo nodded, refrained from remark, and entered the office. It was very modern, all glass, steel and leather. The desk was made of polycarbonate that looked like teak, and the chair was leather. The visitors chair was very nice looking, in leather and wood, but when Milliardo sat in it, he discovered that it was subtly uncomfortable. There was a small side table for it but it was just a bit too high. The rest of the office was done in a tasteful, indeterminate style. He nodded his approval and settled in his very comfortable chair.

It didn't take long for Cherish to get through the files, and to hand them on to the people she thought needed to know. There were only two others, people she thought she could trust completely, she wasn't to be let down either.

After she finished reading, she made appointments for all the men on the list. Since there were only four, it didn't take long. The only problem was that all four of them weren't the actual writers of the manual or the people who'd set out the parameters. They were the department heads. But they were somewhere to start.

Milliardo rubbed his face, this was going to be a very long day.

.

The first and second interviews went fairly well. Neither man would admit to doing anything wrong but they both pointed fingers at higher ups and had emails to back themselves up with. Milliardo examined the evidence and wrote their names in the 'suspicious' column on the list he was keeping in his head. He hardly ever wrote anything down in a situation like this, until he was ready to make his final report.

He had wondered why Quatre sent him here, until Quatre had asked him now many similar situations he'd investigated for OZ. He'd admitted that there had been several and Quatre had just nodded and told him to do his best, he was sure it would be good enough. He had no intention of letting Quatre down.

There was a soft tap on the office door and Cherish stuck her head in, "Your next interview has ... um ... declined. I told him that he was in danger of losing his job but he said, and I quote, "I know my rights. I've called my lawyer."

Milliardo didn't even look up. "Fire him and notify security that I believe him to be complicit in murder, fraud and attempted murder. Think up something else, just to amuse yourself."

Cherish grinned at him, gave him a sloppy half salute and caroled, "Sure thing, boss."

Milliardo had to look up then and return her smile. "Evil woman."

"Damn straight. I got friends out there in suits. The big wigs don't care if they gas out or not. Assholes." She shut the door with a decided thunk.

Milliardo went back to his files, waiting for his next interview.

.

Milliardo sighed and rubbed his face. He had one interview left and this one was the tie breaker, so to speak. This man was the head of Advertising, and why advertising would be in charge of writing manuals was beyond his comprehension. He wanted to speak to someone in engineering, soon.

The tap on the door let Milliardo know that his interview was here. He glanced up then sighed, this was going to be difficult. The man was already on his 'high horse'. He was one of those smooth, overbearing, pretentious executive types that set Milliardo's teeth on edge. Cherish gave him a quick signal that his security men had arrived.

"Mr. Hayhurst, may I call you Nathan?" After having his extended hand ignored and a snapped no, Milliardo settled into his chair and began. "Very well, I see that you want to make this difficult. Do you know who I am? I usually don't start an interview like this but this time I feel it's necessary."

Mr. Hayhurst sneered, "No, I don't know who you are. Do you know who I am?"

"Oh, yes, you're the man who is rapidly hanging himself. I'm Milliardo Peacecraft, I'll spare you the recitation of all my middle names. It's boring and pointless. You might also know me as Zechs Marquise."

He waited for this to sink in and wasn't a bit surprised when there was very little reaction. This man was so self-centered that he probably didn't have a clue. He offered coffee, was refused and condescended to.

"Now, see here, my time is very valuable. What is this all about? I understand something was amiss with a manual? How is that my responsibility?"

"It's your responsibility because you're the head of the department. All the guidelines come down from you. So, the manual was outrageously ... edited. Every minimum was set as optimum, the optimum was deleted and ... er ... so on. Why would anyone set WEI up for such a disaster. Suits need to have minimums done but it is well known that end-users tend to think that optimums are maximums and minimums are recommended. Do you understand?"

Mr. Hayhurst had the gall to snort. "Look, the engineering types are all a bunch of hysterical old ladies. They set minimums that are outrageously expensive. Most companies don't want to buy suits that take the kind of maintenance they seem to think is necessary. WEI makes the best suits on the market and they don't need the kind of maintenance the engineers seem to think they do. It's a marketing ploy that has made our suits the best sellers ever."

Milliardo blinked. "I see. So you just ordered someone to water down the requirements ... to make the suits more attractive to buyers? And how the hell did you get engineering to agree to that." The smug look on the man's face was answer enough."You never submitted your changes, did you?"

"Not my responsibility. The actual writers were responsible for that. I don't know what they did. I don't read and approve every manual. I'm in charge of overall operations. I don't read very word that goes out of this place."

"I see. Well, you're under arrest and fired. In that order. I'll also have a few words to say to your head writer and whoever wrote that particular manual. Now, if you'd please stand."

Mr. Hayhurst sputtered and objected, Milliardo calmly asked him if he wanted to call his lawyer. He also told him that a company lawyer wouldn't be available to him as he was discharged due to dereliction of duty. This seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. He muttered and grumbled but allowed himself to be cuffed and handed over to the two waiting security men.

Milliardo settled in to write his report, Quatre was not going to be pleased. But Milliardo was sure they had enough evidence to charge several of the executives with something, he just wasn't sure exactly what. However, Quatre wanted to make an example and that was what they were going to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 7 /?

Word count: 6325

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

lj-cut.

Wufei looked over the final reports and snarled softly. "Idiot! Fool! He has no idea what he's done. He's proud of the fact that he killed at least one person and probably more."

Milliardo glanced up from the brief he was reading to give Wufei a grim look. "Your legal team will make mincemeat of him in no time. Don't blow your top; I like your hair the way it is."

Wufei made a note in the report, shut it and tossed it back into his briefcase. "Glad you do. We're supposed to meet with Quatre and the others in..." He glanced at the clock on his desk, "ten minutes. We'll never make it. I'll call Trowa and let him know." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed Quick-dial 5.

It didn't take long for them to be connected. Wufei spoke to Quatre, on a hand off from Trowa, for a few moments, suggesting several stratagems and how to implement them. Quatre asked if he was going to head the team but Wufei told him it wouldn't be a good idea as he was friends with both Heero and Duo and it might be construed as a conflict of interests if he represented anyone.

Milliardo rolled his eyes; Wufei was only interested in justice. He was as impartial as a person could be. Wufei noticed this and laughed. "Not everyone knows me like you do. Come. Let's go do something fun. What shall we do?"

Milliardo laughed. "Something that doesn't involve a book. Or a report. Or anything with paper that I have to read."

Wufei nodded. "There's a gym, eight degrees and six levels from here. I've been wanting to go for some time. And after that, you have to get robes, if you're to go to the clan meeting with me."

Milliardo snorted. "I'm beginning to believe that I really need to rethink that decision. Robes? I'm not looking forward to that."

"They're very comfortable. Really." Wufei gave Milliardo an amused look then took his hand and pulled him toward the door. "Come on, let's go. After meeting and getting robes, we'll go to the gym, I'll even spot you two points."

"Like I need two points from a half-pint like you." Milliardo drew himself up to his impressive 6'4" and looked down on Wufei.

Wufei just smirked up at him. "I learned how to play from Duo."

Milliardo deflated. "Maybe I won't turn you down after all."

They continued their companionable argument on the slide way, but changed to planning their transfer to Mina Hurr on the escalator.

Wufei looked up from the discussion of what they should pack to remark, "I think we've gone up one level too many. There's a slide over there that'll get us back on track."

Milliardo frowned at him for a second. "I don't like the arrangement of this station. It doesn't make sense. How the hell can we get lost in a closed environment?"

Wufei nodded. "I know. But like most colonies and stations, it wasn't really planned. It sort of grew. As they need more room, they just add a section."

Milliardo made a face. "And they just tack it on ... somewhere. No wonder most colonies are rabbit warrens. And stations aren't much better."

"That's one of the reasons Duo's working on a full design. With allowances for expansion. Quatre doesn't know about it yet. Duo wants it to be a surprise. Heero's helping."

It took them several more minutes to get oriented again and ten minutes to reach their destination.

Quatre was glad to finally see them. He came out from behind his desk to give them both a hug. "Milliardo, you look well. Wufei, the same. Duo and Heero are meeting their new personal secretary. I'll be looking for one for you as well."

Wufei shook his head. "We don't need a personal secretary. We can..."

Quatre gave them a look. "I know who you're using just now and you're giving her a nervous breakdown. I'm looking for just the perfect person. And you will not do anything to make whomever I pick leave. Do you understand?"

Both Wufei and Milliardo quailed beneath the power of Quatre's look. No one messed with Quatre when he got that look on his face.

They were spared a true confrontation, not that either Wufei or Milliardo would have actually said anything, by Duo bounding into the room.

"I got it. Ira! He and Janet are dating. This way, they don't have to be separated and I bet Wufei will like Ira, he's thinking about attending law school. And ..." Duo gave Wufei a grin. "Hi, Wu, found you a guy."

Wufei gave him a mock sour look. "Thank you so much. But I already have one."

Milliardo laughed, bowed mockingly and posed as if for a photographer. "Yes, and a fine one, if I do say so myself."

The laughter drew Heero, Ira and Janet in from the other room.

Quatre introduced then to each other and settled in to tell them everything he could about the upcoming lawsuit.

Duo and Heero were to be witnesses and Wufei was to head the legal team, although he wouldn't be in the courtroom. Milliardo would handle the PR side of things. Trowa would coordinate all their efforts and Quatre would be ... Quatre.

They discussed several more things and decided to break for lunch. Or brunch. Duo just growled, "I don't give a flying fuck what you call it. Food! Now!"

The rest laughed and started suggesting restaurants to go to. Janet and Ira showed their appreciation of their new status by suggesting a small, out of the way place that had good food and reasonable prices. Janet called ahead for a reservation, something that sent the hostess into a tailspin when she got the name, Winner wasn't common.

.

It didn't take them long to get to the restaurant. It was, as Janet had said, small, out of the way, and very nice. It was neat, homely and very Italian.

Duo gave the name to the hostess, who immediately led them to a small alcove with a large circular table in it. The table could easily have accommodated half again their number so they weren't crowded in the least, and there was plenty of room behind the chairs.

Their waitress handed around menus and asked for a drink order. Ira ordered a small red wine, but everyone else ordered ice tea, coffee or water.

Ira settled back in his chair, sipped his wine then sighed, "I'll be glad when we transfer to the new colony. I can't wait to get a car. A real, gas powered monster. Something that goes really fast." He settled deeper in his chair, putting down his wine and miming steering.

Duo rubbed his cheek for a moment. "Why are we having cars?" He turned to look at Quatre. "Cars, anything that produces hydrocarbon pollution causes the scrubbers to work harder, makes it necessary to clean them more often and is inefficient use of resources. Electric vehicles of some sort are a much better idea. Electricity is free, easy to move and clean. And speeding isn't possible." Ira made a rude noise. "Oh, please, I'm not as crazy as everyone thinks. Speeding is dangerous even if you know exactly what you're doing. I never speed on public highways, with the obvious exceptions."

Quatre had a strange look on his face. "Duo, you just saved the colony about twenty trillion euros. A year. Thank you."

Duo just nodded a bit smugly. "Welcome. Does this mean the meal is on you?"

Quatre laughed. "Sure. There are several other things I think I'll turn over to you and Heero. Wufei has the legal end under control, Trowa has my personal schedule lined out and Milliardo has PR on its toes. Things are looking good."

Duo moaned, "Aww, Quat, why'd you go an' jinx things like that. Something awful is bound to happen now."

Trowa just shook his head. Duo was a mass of contradictions but they had gotten used to his superstitions. Wufei glanced at Heero and shrugged. He wouldn't have admitted it under torture, but he had a feeling too. He took Milliardo's hand in his and waited.

Heero looked at Duo for a moment. "Any ideas?" Duo shook his head.

Wufei greeted the return of their waitress with relief, maybe if they distracted Duo with food he wouldn't drop into depression.

Heero rubbed Duo's back for a moment whispering softly to him. He finally smiled and said, "Ok, ok. I won't go all manic-depressive on you. But ... spacers luck says something bad will happen."

"Right. Now the waitress is waiting for our orders. What do you want?"

They gave their orders, Duo for spaghetti bolognaise, Wufei ravioli with ragu, Trowa lasagna, Quatre eggplant parmesan, Heero chicken cacciatore, Milliardo tortellini with peas and mushrooms in alfredo sauce. The waitress wrote it all down, smiled in a flirtatious way at Trowa and left to turn in the order.

Quatre sniffed a bit at the flirtation. "Hussy."

Trowa snickered, "Who me?" which made Quatre laugh.

Wufei shook his head. "She better watch out or she's going to have problems she doesn't want, or get fired."

Duo gave Wufei a sharp look. "You going to give her grief for a bit of flirtation?"

Wufei shook his head. "No, but her boss might. He's looking this way right now, and he doesn't look happy."

They went back to discussing the colony construction until the waitress brought their food. She placed their plates in front of them, flirting all the while. Duo realized exactly what Wufei was talking about when he saw that she'd gotten to orders right but had put the plates in front of the wrong people. She left without realizing it, so they switched plates around and started eating.

Janet glanced at the table then realized what was bothering her; the flirtatious waitress hadn't brought them any breadsticks or salads. They'd been so involved in their conversation that they hadn't noticed. She signaled the hostess to ask for their missing food. She noticed that Quatre was also frowning. Heero glanced around, poked Duo who blinked at the table for a second then kicked Trowa under the table. Wufei, sensitive to all his friends, poked Milliardo, who was already aware of the problem and wondering if Quatre was going to lose his temper or just not tip.

The hostess came over to see what was wrong, Quatre asked politely for their breadsticks and salads. They were brought to the table by the day manager, who apologized profusely and offered their meal free. Quatre shook his head at that and announced, "That's not necessary, we should have noticed earlier. Please bring the waitress to the table. I'd like to talk to her for a moment."

The girl showed at once and stood, waiting for Quatre's comments.

"Do you like your Job? And what is your name, you seem to have forgotten your name tag. That's not a good thing to do. No one will compliment a waitress who is so ashamed of her name that she won't give it out."

"Um ... yeah, I kinda like my job. My name is Sharon and I hate name tags, they're always getting caught on something."

"I see. You should speak to your boss about that. Now." Quatre's eyes turned cold. "The service you have given is unacceptable. You've flirted with everyone at the table. Forgotten who got what dish and left off half our order. Salads and breadsticks come with every meal, don't they?"

Sharon twisted the corner of her apron for a moment. "Um ... yeah, they do."

Quatre made a face. "Yes is an acceptable answer. So, why did you forget them?"

"Well, I just forgot. There's this ... um ... busboy, you see. And we got to talking and I just forgot."

The day manager interrupted at this point, telling the girl to go to the back, he'd talk to her later. And he'd wait on this table himself. She headed to the back, glaring over her shoulder.

"I'll fire her. And I really will wait this table myself."

Heero glared at Quatre for a moment then let up as he said, "Don't fire her. She needed a wake up call, I hope you don't mind me giving it to her. And you really should have a talk with her."

The day manager turned out to be an efficient, quiet and pleasant waiter. They all noticed that Sharon hovered in the background, watching avidly.

After a bit, they got back on stride and conversation started flowing again. Ira wanted more information on why carbon fuels were so hard on scrubbers so Duo spent most of the rest of the meal talking. Quatre just listened, a slight smile on his face.

.

When they got up to leave, the manager offered them a free meal again, Quatre turned him down, saying the food was excellent and the service very good. The man laughed softly.

"There at the end, I surely hope it was. Good day."

They paid their bill and left, Quatre smiling again.

When they got back to Quatre's office, he settled at his desk and handed Duo a sheaf of papers. "Here, see what you can make of this. As soon as this legal wrangle is done, we're going to Mina Hurr and starting the real work. I'm sick of shepherding this company through the convoluted mess Father made of it. I'm going to finish straightening it out if it kills me. He never let the left hand know what the right was doing. It made him feel more in control. It makes me dizzy." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. He'd been trying to sort things out for two years now and was finally getting a hand on things. He'd managed to find department heads he could count on and trust. He was almost ready to leave the nitty-gritty to them and only take a hand when they couldn't handle things. It was a real relief.

He leaned back in his chair and was just beginning to relax when Wufei's phone began to ring. Wufei answered it, giving his name then listening.

Everyone jumped when his phone shattered on the wall. No one spoke enough Taiwanese to understand what he was saying but the meaning was clear. Wufei was not happy.

Duo approached Wufei carefully; it wouldn't do to have an incident between them. "'Fei? What is it?"

Milliardo eased up behind Wufei, careful that he saw what was going on, then wrapped his arms around him. "Hush, love, just take a deep breath then talk."

Wufei leaned against Milliardo and shook his head at Duo. "Relax, Duo, I'm not going to self-destruct."

Heero snorted, "No(,) that's my trick. What has you ready to blow?"

Wufei sighed, "The Galactic Tours Company has declared bankruptcy. The company is officially out of business. Damnit. Now what?"

Quatre sucked in a breath and punched a button on his desk console.

"Ok, that means we go with criminal charges. I'll press them on Mina Hurr and we'll leave for there in two days. I think we can get them to come to the colony, then they'll get a really nasty surprise. Mina Hurr is an independent political entity as well as my private property."

Duo suddenly got a very evil expression on his face, a combination of joy and cunning that Wufei copied in about two seconds. Heero just whispered, "Oh, yeah." Milliardo gave Trowa a resigned glance and had it returned with a small quirk of amusement.

They broke up the gathering and each couple left for their own residence.

Wufei had to grumble a bit at Milliardo. "I swear, that is one of the things I'm going to stop. Declaring bankruptcy to get out of a civil lawsuit is ... dishonorable. And unjust and ... and ..."

Milliardo hugged Wufei, tucking him under one arm. "Shush, you'll just get yourself all worked up and then you'll have stomach trouble again. We'll get them. Especially if they're stupid enough to go to Mina Hurr to fight confiscation of assets there."

"Think they will?"

Milliardo shrugged. "Yeah, I do. That sort always believes in their untouchability."

Wufei snorted.

They made it home without much trouble and settled in for the rest of the day. Wufei worked on his constitution and Milliardo handled some public relations things that his subordinates couldn't deal with.

.

Quatre and Trowa settled in at their desks to make arrangements to lure the entire board of directors of GT over to Mina Hurr.

"So, is there anything of theirs on Mina Hurr or do I have to find some other way of luring them in?"

Trowa sighed. "There's enough merchandise and equipment that we can count on the directors of Sales and Construction. The Director of Acquisitions too. But the rest? I'm not sure about."

"I'll take it Sales and Tourism will come, the rest of the board can be hooked by freebies. I'll take a bit to figure out what it'll take for each one but we'll get them."

Trowa smiled in satisfaction. "I know we will, you've never failed yet. And I don't see you falling down on the job this time either. I've got a few ideas, let me do some research and I'll outline it for you."

"Ok. I've got some things to go over with Iria. It's nice to have my whole board of directors be my sisters. At least when they're one's on my side. I can finally get down to building my colony. Another month and I'll be spending no more than five days a month running WEI."

"Thank goodness. You can be a real bastard some days."

"I know, but you love me anyway."

"I do. With all my heart. Back to work." Trowa gave Quatre a loving look that turned stern at his last words. Quatre gave him a lingering look that promised 'things to come' and went back to his work.

Trowa turned to his computer and started opening files. He searched each man and woman by name and found a few things he thought would be helpful. He made notes and sent everything to all the others in a compound file. He even had to zip it, and in this day of lightening fast computers that really said something about it's size.

.

Duo and Heero loitered along, taking their time about getting back. Duo was still on light duty and Heero wanted to enjoy the two days they had left before they went to Mina Hurr. After they got there, who knew what they'd be doing. Troubleshooters were notorious for being overworked.

Not that he really minded, after the months and months of enforced inactivity, he was anxious to be doing something worthwhile.

Duo looked up a Heero. "Why so quiet? Something wrong?"

Heero smiled at Duo. "Not really. Just thinking. I'm really ready to be actually doing something. That bit of action we got last month just whetted my appetite so to speak."

"Me too. I can't believe I was that careless. But ... Relena. You know."

"Yeah. I do. And you weren't careless, it was bad luck and nothing more. I looked at all the recordings I could find. You were perfect."

Duo sighed happily; any bit of praise from Heero was a major accomplishment. "Well, thanks. I feel a lot better. I'm almost 'hundred per', we going to the gym?"

"Yeah, I thought we were."

"Ok, just wanted to be sure. We're not headed the right way."

"Short cut."

Duo groaned. Short cuts on a station as old as this one could lead into all sorts of lost.

Luckily for them it didn't, this time, instead they walked out of a narrow support corridor and into the mainline corridor about 25 feet from the front door of the gym.

It was bright and clean, with a huge open area filled with machines and chatter. The thump of weights and the whirr of treadmills let them know that this was a working gym, not one of those kinds that catered to the social set.

They were approached by one of the trainers, who asked if they had a membership or did they need a day pass. Duo turned to reply and found himself blinking at a stare of stark terror.

"Hey, dude, what's the matter. Easy there, don't ... Heero! Help me!"

Heero leapt to help Duo who was holding up a limp body by main force. The man had nearly fainted and was hanging off Duo's shoulder. Heero grabbed him and kept him on his feet while Duo grabbed a stool from behind the front desk.

Heero dumped him on the stool and wondered what to do next. He wasn't good with fainting women, fainting men were way beyond him.

A tall, blonde woman came striding up, an annoyed look on her face. "What the hell is going on here?"

Duo shrugged, a rather blank look on his face. "I have no idea. He came over to ask if we wanted day passes or were we members, then he went white and ..." he waved a hand at the man. "Heero and I just stuck him on that stool and here we are."

Heero was bracing the man so he wouldn't fall over. He gave the woman an assessing look, read her name tag and replied, "He's hyperventilating, pulse rapid but strong, sweating a bit. Does he have a heart condition, hypoglycemia or diabetes?"

"Not that I know of."

Just then Ted spoke. "Gu ... gun ... pilot..."

"Gun Pilot? What the hell are you going blathering about, Ted?"

"Jessica?"

The woman turned to look at Duo. "Yes? Just a moment, let me get him on the floor." Heero helped her get Ted on the floor with his feet on the stool. He looked around, a little uncomfortable with the rapidly gathering patrons.

Ted meanwhile was alternately stammering and wheezing. He finally managed to point at Duo and say clearly. "Gundam Pilot. Him."

Jessica took a good look at Duo. "Yeah, Duo Maxwell, so what? What's that got to do with you acting a fool?"

Duo caught Heero's eye and they shared an amused look.

"But ... but ... Gundam pilots! They're ..." Ted stammered off as the men standing around started to shift and mutter.

Duo turned a bit pale and Heero edged to get Duo at his back, or at least beside him.

Suddenly, someone from the back of the crowd announced in a firm, carrying voice. "Hey! Give 'em some room. They don't look so good."

Everyone backed off quickly, leaving Heero, Duo, Jessica and Ted in a clear area that comprised about half the center of the room. And many of them had put a machine of some kind or other between them and the clear area.

Heero nudged Duo who was easing towards him, readying himself for attack. "Stand down. I'm jumpy too, but look around."

Duo looked around then smiled. "Ok, folks, nothing to see here. Just a guy with a Gundam Pilot induced panic attack. Thanks for your consideration."

Jessica just snorted again and stepped over Ted, who was still pale but recovering a bit. She nudged him with a toe on her way over. "Up as soon as you can. Go into the back and lie down over your break. You can take the back room for the rest of the day."

Ted groaned, rolled over and got to his feet. He cast one wide eyed look over his shoulder and hurriedly staggered into the back.

Jessica said, "Ok, now that that's over with. Day pass?"

Duo grinned, "Yes, please. Two, if you don't mind."

Jessica filled out a small card and handed it to Duo. "Read and sign." She bent her head over the desk again, "and one for you too, Mr. Yuy."

Heero took the card, a standard disclaimer, and signed. "Why don't you have this computerized? Just asking. In this day of computers and data bases, it doesn't really make sense."

"It does if you have a bunch of ham handed jocks who could break an anvil running in and out."

Heero looked blank for a moment. "They need better training then."

Jessica looked at him for a moment. "I suppose you'd know. But, they get their nuts involved in it and all hell breaks loose."

Duo just laughed.

They collected the key cards that would let them access lockers and towels, the sauna and PT room. Heero examined Duo carefully for a moment.

"Feel like a real workout, or are you still off."

Duo considered that for a moment. "Um ... I'll try. But I'm clapping out if I need to."

"Wouldn't expect anything less, you're not stupid. Wonder if they have a real dojo or do we have to use an all purpose room?"

Duo got a wistful look on his face. "I hope they have a real dojo. I miss the one at Quatre's place. It was really nice. Wufei used to take me there and we'd work out to forget."

Heero hung his head a bit, looking forlorn. "I'm sorry. I missed you so much."

"Don't be sad." Duo hugged Heero gently. "It's all over and we're building a new life here. Let's ask."

They found Jessica again, she'd left the desk when she'd seen that Heero was upset. She just pointed to a door at the end of a short hall. "Showers on the left. Sauna and PT room on the right, dojo at the end. Just don't freak out if you wind up with an audience. I'll tell 'em to say behind the pillars. Ok?"

Duo nodded, "Sure, you got any safety weapons?"

"Yeah. On a rack on the wall. Anything loose in the dojo is free for you to use. Personal weapons go in the cages and are kept locked. Only the desk and the manager have a key on site."

"That's good. Heero? Ready?"

Heero just grinned and nodded.

They ambled down the hall, discussing what they were going to so. Duo wanted to warm up with some yoga but Heero advised the slightly more active Tae Chi. Duo shrugged, telling Heero that, as he considered this physical therapy, it was up to him. Heero nodded, "Tae Chi it is then."

"Ugh ... and Chang Long Form, right?"

Heero smirked, nodding. "You know it."

They opened the doors to see the dojo. It was huge, light, airy, and perfectly appointed. The mats were clean and the side areas neat. "It's good. Let's get changed." Heero's approval was subdued but Duo knew he was really pleased.

They entered the locker room, found their lockers and realized that they didn't have sweats or gis. Duo blinked for a moment. "Well, shit."

Heero just went to see the towel boy, who was an older man and asked him about sweats or some sort of gym clothes. He just grinned, "Size? You guys are always forgetting. Jock?"

Heero gave his size, rejected the supporter and gave Duo's size, refusing a supporter for him too. Neither one of them liked a so called 'jock strap' and refused to wear one.

"Here, just sweats but they'll do."

Duo accepted the gray sweats with a grin, Heero had no idea how sexy he looked in the slightly too tight clothing and Duo wasn't about to tell him. Heero always got his sweats one size to small.

They returned to the Dojo and entered, leaving their soft cloth slippers at the door. Everyone on a station usually wore the soft, felt soled slippers, unless boots or shoes were more appropriate.

Duo walked to the center of the mat, looked for the shrine every dojo had, then saluted it. Heero followed and also saluted the shrine. Then they faced each other. Duo nodded and they turned to face the front of the dojo.

They moved in perfect unison. Heero called the stances because Chang always did.

Some of the names were very descriptive and some rather fanciful.

They moved slowly through the stances of the form. Duo breaking a light sweat near the end.

"And cross hands ... feet together ... bow." Heero looked over at Duo, who was grinning like a maniac. "How do you feel?"

"Good, good. I'm sweating a bit more than I like but not bad. I'd like to get some water. Then pushing?"

Heero shrugged. "Or a full out, if you think you're up to it."

Duo pumped one fist in the air. "Yes! Water, for both of us, then I want a full out. You'll kick my ass, but we need to see where I am in relation to where I should be."

So they returned to the middle of the mat and squared off. Heero just stood in a relaxed stance that would have confused any other opponent, but Duo knew better. Heero kept his eyes on Duo. Duo might be slight and still a bit under fighting weight, but he was quick as a snake and knew more about street fighting than anyone, even Heero acknowledged his supremacy. The only real advantage that Heero had was strength and, since he wouldn't use it against Duo, they were fairly evenly matched.

Duo feinted, left then right, he attacked down the center but turned at the last moment and launched a kick at Heero's ribs. The only reason his attack didn't work was that Heero realized what he was up to at the last moment. The only defense he managed was to turn so the kick hit him across the buttocks instead of in the ribs.

Heero's return was swift and vicious, he launched a kick at Duo's head, which he ducked, but that left him open and Heero grabbed one of Duo's feet and jerked, dumping him on his ass.

Duo managed to get his ankle out of Heero's grasp and roll. He didn't roll far before he used a kip up to get back to his feet. Then he used the momentum to launch a punch at Heero. They were both a bit surprised when it actually connected.

Heero backed up and set himself. Duo didn't follow up as Heero expected, instead he backed off and made Heero follow him, right to the rack of weapons. Duo snatched a knife off of the rack and suddenly things were very different.

Heero went on the defensive at once. Duo with a knife in his hand was nothing to fool around with and Heero knew it. When he saw that Duo had a knife in each hand he knew he was in trouble.

Duo used a style he'd learned on L-2, holding one knife in a backward grip and the other forward. This odd grip allowed him to slash with one hand and stab with the other. And suddenly, Heero was surrounded by a web of glittering pseudo-steel, and very glad that it wouldn't cut him. Instead it just left rather embarrassing purple marks where Duo touched, the wider the mark the deeper the cut would have been.

The watching martial artists gasped and whispered, Heero was technically dead. Duo had managed to cut his throat with a quick stab and flick.

"Gotcha! Heero, you should see your face."

Heero touched his throat and laughed at the purple stain on his fingertips. "Damn, you're better than I thought you'd be."

Duo leaned over, hands on his thighs, and panted, "Yeah ... but my ... endurance ... is for shit. Ugh!" He flopped down on his back and struggled to get his breath back. He was nearly as strong as before he was injured but the days of laying around, recovering, had taken their toll on his endurance.

Heero shook his head. "Ok, you're going to be on a treadmill every day until you're back to battle ready. Catch your breath and we'll put you on one now."

"I have been on a treadmill. You know that, you set the parameters for my workouts yourself." Duo couldn't help but sound a bit indignant, or petulant if you weren't in a charitable mood. Heero was, so he just tickled Duo's ribs with his toes and held out his hand.

Duo took it and allowed himself to be pull to his feet.

They both reached for nonexistent weapons as applause broke out from all around the mats. Heero pivoted and put his back to Duo's and they both took up defensive stances, then they both laughed. Everyone had frozen and some of the people had that 'deer in the headlights' look which made both Duo and Heero laugh at them. This broke the tension and all the observers crowded around to talk to the two pilots.

Heero eased through the group simply announcing, "We can't talk to you unless we can get our backs to something. Twitchy, sorry."

No one said anything, in fact, they cleared the way so that both men could stand in a small alcove usually occupied by a small table and wall scroll. They spoke with people, signed autographs(,) which made Duo actually giggle, and managed not to freak out. It wasn't long before Jessica showed up and chased off most of the people, telling them that the two were supposed to be working out, not gossiping like old women. Heero gave her a nod of approval and he and Duo left for the front of the gym where all the equipment was.

Duo took a mill and Heero set it up, then he got on the one next to Duo and they both began to jog.

They started out fairly slowly but Heero's mill sped up at an amazing rate, at least to the trainers who were watching carefully. Duo's mill sped up too, but at a slower pace, to allow for his reduced endurance. Heero had planned well, they ended their workout at the same time, both of them sweating and panting.

Heero checked the readout and nodded. "Good, if it wasn't you, this would be very good. For you it's ... fair."

Duo made a face. "How fair?"

"In percentages, 100% being your personal top form ... 85%."

Duo sighed. "Not good. Fair is your best assessment?"

Heero patted Duo's shoulder then pointed to the readout over it. "This is 145% for anyone else. You'll get back in top form in no time. Believe me. Come on, shower, home, tea."

Duo had to laugh. "Ok, shower, home, tea. Sounds good. Right behind you."

They showered and went home, greeted at the door by a very happy little dog. Duo settled on the floor to play with Binky while Heero made tea.

This was the time that Binky liked best, her man played with her and petted her. She was alone for much of the day, a walker came to take her out but that wasn't her man. She barked and jumped all over Duo, a thing she wasn't allowed to do except when he lay down on the floor, a signal that it was play time.

Heero watched and laughed happily as Binky scrambled all over Duo, licking his face and tugging at his shirt with her little teeth. They played until Heero finally called an end.

"Come get your tea, she's starting to pant too much. We need to walk her more. She's getting two walks a day from the walker but I don't think the man walks her far enough."

Duo took the thermal cup that had kept his tea drinking temperature and patted Binky down on the couch. He let her crawl into his lap as he sipped tea and relaxed. Heero settled on the other side of the couch with his own tea.

They listened to music for a while, Binky fell asleep between them, then eased off the couch.

"I'm ready for bed. You?" Heero stretched and yawned.

"Yeah, me too." Duo copied Heero then turned for the hall. "I'm so going to be sore tomorrow."

"I'll give you a rub down before we sleep."

Duo grinned. "Thanks."

They stripped down and got into bed. Heero produced a bottle of massage oil and rubbed Duo down with efficient but gentle motions. Duo moaned softly.

"Man, that feels so good." He rolled over and gave Heero a lascivious, flirtatious look. "Wanna do somethin' else with that oil?"

"Yes, but not now. You're too tired to really enjoy it." He leaned down and kissed Duo, taking his time and doing it really right.

Duo sighed his disappointment. "Maybe, but it's not right that you have to do without."

Heero shrugged, crawled between the sheets and turned out the lights. He rolled over to hug Duo and whisper in his ear. "I'm not doing totally without. I pay a regular visit to Madam Rosy Palm and her five sisters. Sleep now."

After Duo finished cackling 'like a hen laying an egg', they did.

/lj-cut


	8. Chapter 8

Building a New Life chapter 8

Wufei examined the final draft of the constitution of Mina Hurr. It had turned out much better than he'd expected. The convoluted language of most legal documents was gone, replaced by language that anyone could decipher. The laws of the colony were the same. Wufei couldn't believe how thin the law book was. That was correct, there was only one law book. It was by actual measure 12x20 with four hundred pages. There were 'federal', 'state' and 'local' laws. Parking regulations and much more. But there were no contradictions, no loop holes and enough wiggle room that justice was possible even when a law had been broken. Intent meant much more on Mina Hurr.

He put the book aside and smiled, one other law that was not on the books anywhere else was, you couldn't be a citizen until you passed a citizenship test, and you couldn't even live on Mina Hurr until you knew a minimum about the legal setup. It would make things a lot easier. As well as the fact that there was no diplomatic immunity. Even the diplomats had to know the laws.

Milliardo came in with a tray on which were two cups, a teapot and a very small dish of sugar.

"Ah, tea. Thank you." Wufei chuckled softly. "Still muddling your tea with refined sugar?"

Milliardo laughed. "Yes, but at least it's green."

"Hmm. It's very good." Wufei held his cup in one hand and supported it with the other. The cup in his palm was warm and the smell of the tea was calming.

"Thank you. How's everything going?"

"Done, thank my ancestors. It was getting quite trying. I swear they just want to obfuscate everything into incoherence."

"Well, of course. Job security. Who's going to need lawyers now?"

"Anyone with half a brain. It's not just understanding the law, it's knowing how to apply it. Of course, the lower courts are very uncomplicated. That'll help keep down the caseload. And there are provisions for arbitration before litigation."

"When are we actually going to go to Mina Hurr?" Milliardo couldn't contain his impatience.

"Tomorrow. Heero and Duo are going too."

"I thought it wasn't going to be until next week?"

Wufei smirked at Milliardo. "Duo's well, there are problems that need immediate attention, and Heero is getting bored. Trowa and Quatre will follow next week."

Milliardo made a scoffing noise. "We'll see about that. I bet they don't get there for another six months."

"Quatre said that he has everything in line for him to go then." Wufei wondered how Quatre could possibly be delayed any longer.

"Well, you know, I have a feeling." Wufei snorted inelegantly into his teacup. "Well, I do, and the last time I had a feeling like this it involved a falling station. So ..."

Wufei shuddered slightly. "Fine, fine. We'll keep a weather eye out. Satisfied?"

"Yes ... oh, and Relena is going to be here tomorrow for about six hours for a ribbon cutting for some new clinic or other. It's just an excuse to see me, actually." He managed to look both pleased and self-satisfied.

"Oh, well then, I'll have to get out the formal robes. For the last time. A very good time to impress the clan elders and tell them it's at an end, without all the fuss and bother. You?"

Milliardo sipped at his tea. "Tux or uniform. I'm thinking uniform. Sort of rub their noses in the fact that WEI considers me worthy."

Wufei just nodded. "Good. I know Heero and Duo will want to be there. In uniform."

Milliardo laughed and poured more tea.

.

Duo took his dress uniform out of the closet and checked to see that all the 'scrambled eggs' were on right, Heero had done both of their uniforms so it was just a nerve relaxing formality.

"Nervous?" Heero turned Duo around to tie his tie.

"A bit. I'm not 100 per and if something happens, I'm toast." He lifted his chin for Heero

"No, you're not. Your assignment for this is to cover Relena." He finished the tie and lifted his chin for Duo to return the favor.

"Ridiculous." Duo raised an eyebrow. "Ties. We should wear clip on. If someone gets a hold of this damn thing."

"Yeah, like someone can actually get that close to you ... or me for that matter." He finished tying the tie. "There."

They turned to look at themselves in the mirror and neither one realized what a picture they made. They were both at the end of their last growth spurt, the doctor was sure of that. But the last one, completed while Duo was in the hospital, had put them at just over six feet. They still looked like they were three or even four years younger than they really were and both were still slender. Duo more so than Heero who was already putting on muscle again. Lots of it.

Binky chose that moment to demand a walk. She sat down by the door and started to whine. Duo sighed, got her leash and clipped it to her collar. She barked happily and scrambled out the door. Duo headed for the small park that was her walking area. He realized that he hadn't brought the pooper scooper with him and sighed.

He got his phone out of his pocket, trust Yuy to make sure that his pockets were properly loaded. He pressed the one touch 1 and waited while the phone rang.

"Forgot the scooper, didn't you. I'll be right there, go on ahead."

Duo hung up, snickering softly. "Well, little girl, looks like it's Yuy to the rescue again. Come on." He tugged gently on the leash and Binky trotted by his side to the park.

Duo walked her, careful not to hurry her. He was just halfway through when a woman stopped him.

"Excuse me. Aren't you ... um ... Commander Maxwell? Or is it Colonel?"

"Either one is correct. And, yes, I am."

"I just wanted to thank you for brining up all the dogs and cats. My daughter had been wanting one for years. Now we have a dog and a cat. They would have been euthanized by now, so we all benefited. Thank you so very much." She held out a calloused hand for Duo to clasp.

"You're welcome. I hope you and your daughter have many years of happy companionship."

"We will. I'm staying here then going back to Earth. I hope the same for you. Good-by."

Duo smiled at the woman and watched as she walked away. Binky barked and Duo looked up to see Heero walking up with the required equipment.

"Thanks, man, I can't believe I forgot that. Binky hasn't gone yet so we're all good. This way?" Duo tugged at Binky's lead and they headed deeper into the park, waiting for the little dog to find her 'perfect' spot.

It took a while but Duo didn't mind, he knew he'd neglected the poor thing. He'd been injured, in PT and then working out. Binky liked to sit next to him in his bed, but she didn't handle nul grav very well for more than a little while. She liked it but she got space sick. A very nasty business for all concerned. He intended to make it up to her soon.

Heero watched Duo with Binky and felt his heart drop. Something bad was going to happen, he just wasn't sure what it was. All he could do was prepare for the fallout.

Relena was on the station, Duo was nearly completely well, and they were going to Mina Hurr after the opening. He rubbed the back of his neck irritably.

"Heero?"

"Humm?"

"She's done. I'll do the clean up if you'll hold her."

Heero accepted the leash with a nod. "Fine. We could take her to the ceremony if you like. Relena would probably like to see her."

"What'll I do with her during the ceremony?"

"One of Relena's myriad of aides can take care of her."

Duo had to snicker. Relena was always complaining about the young ladies who seemed to breed like ants at a picnic. The ESUN public relations office hired them from the finest finishing schools and Relena didn't have the heart to tell anyone that they were more of an annoyance than anything. So she found tasks for them to do, things that she needed done that security or her 'real' staff didn't have time to do. He was glad the Dorothy Catalonia was in charge of the 'bride brigade' as they'd been dubbed.

"Ok." He glanced at his watch. "We better get going then. I'll let Binky walk until she gets tired then I'll carry her."

.

Relena sighed. She didn't want to be here, doing this, she wanted to be able to visit her brother without going through all this silliness.

"Is there anything I can get you, Miss Relena?"

Relena eyed the bright eyed young thing with disgust. She reminded her or herself in what Duo called her 'pink' phase.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. When Milliardo gets here, please show him right in."

"Milliardo? You mean Zechs Marquise? What in the world do you want with that psycho?" The girl turned up her nose. Relena wondered what her name was.

"Well, one, he's my brother. And two, your attitude is ... unacceptable. Please ask Doro to come in, will you?"

The girl turned red, stammered for a moment then just bowed her head, muttered, "Yes, Miss" and left. Relena rubbed at the headache blossoming in her temples. She got one like that every now and then, they didn't last long.

Dorothy came in a few minutes later. "I set Kathleen waiting for Milliardo. I know that Quatre and Trowa are coming, so I'm fairly sure they'll all be here."

"Good. I have been wanting to see them for ages. I'm going to take a vacation, I swear. No more openings, closings, ribbon cuttings, etc. Doro, I'm serious."

"Yes, Miss Relena. I'll see to it." Dorothy checked with Relena's secretary by phone. "You don't have anything after the hotel in southern France. Why don't I just make a reservation for you to actually stay there for a week?"

Relena gazed absently into space for a moment. "Yes, that'll do quite nicely. Make it for both of us."

Dorothy just nodded and smiled slightly.

A knock on the door caused Dorothy to rise and crack the door open about an inch, she peeked through the crack then opened the door all the way.

Milliardo offered her a courtly bow and entered, making way for Heero, then Duo with Binky in his arms, then Wufei bowed to both ladies and went to stand near the door. Finally Quatre and Trowa entered. Trowa went to stand by Wufei while Quatre walked over to take both of Relena's hands and kiss her cheek.

Relena greeted Quatre with a soft smile and the hugged Milliardo. "Thank you so much for changing your name ... again. I was very distressed when I learned why you'd changed it in the first place. The nerve of them."

Milliardo smiled down at his little sister. "All I wanted to do was avoid causing you trouble."

Relena made a sound very like a kettle ready to boil. "Idiot." Her smile made Milliardo smile back.

"Never denied it for a second. What's this thing supposed to go like?"

"In and out. Smile, greet, speech, cut, leave. A little hand shaking on the way in and out. It's a security nightmare. General Orton is having fits."

Heero just nodded. "I'll go talk to him?" He made it a question to be polite

Relena just said, "Please. Duo?"

Duo laughed. "On my way. Keep Binky for me?"

Relena held out her hands for Binky. "Of course. Come here, sweetie." Binky remembered Relena as a source of treats and hugs so she was glad to nestle in Relena's arms.

Quatre just nodded to Trowa who took his hand gun out of it's holster, chambered a round, safetied it and put it back. Quatre did the same. Wufei and Milliardo exchanged looks then checked their weapons, too.

.

Duo watched Heero deal with the general. The man was good at his job, older and more than ready to listen to Heero.

"This place is a sieve. Why out in the open like this?"

General Orton shook his head. "I don't know. Probably just to give me ulcers. Look at all the galleries and Mezzanines. Potshot hell, I tell you. So ..."

Heero just dialed his phone and started talking. "Yuy, here. The ribbon cutting is off. Or it gets moved to just inside the door. One or the other." He listened for a moment. "No, I don't care. You want her shot, have it done on your watch, not mine. Either or." Heero shut his phone while whoever it was on the other end was still talking. "General, come with me. We'll move that damn ribbon ourselves."

So the on looking media was treated to the sight of Heero Yuy and William Orton moving the pylons which held up the ribbon closing the doors to the new Vacuum Injuries section of the hospital station. They moved them so that the ribbon was across the doors, instead of out in the middle of the square in front of the building. They also moved the podium right in front of the ribbon.

There was a lot of grumbling from the media but Heero ignored it coldly. If they wanted to complain they could talk to Milliardo, or the air. The liaison from Relena's corps of hangers on could kiss his ass, too.

Milliardo approached, elegant in a linen suit, "Someone's already complaining that they can't get a good camera angle. What's going on?"

Heero pointed at the galleries and the double mezzanines, "Clear camera angle means clear shot. Not gonna happen. You really want Relena shot down?"

Milliardo gazed around for a moment. "I was assured that the venue was defensible. Seems I trusted the wrong person. No, I don't want my sister shot. Do what you want, I'll deal with the flack."

Suddenly Milliardo was Prince Peacecraft.

Duo, meanwhile, was scouting the offending structures to see what could be done about securing them. They were open, pure and simple, anyone could walk in.

He looked down to see Milliardo, stiffly erect, looking down his nose at a small man who seemed to be trying to intimidate him. In fact, he looked very like Binky when she wanted to go out. Duo snickered softly.

"Excuse me, young man. This level is for VIP's only. You'll have to return to the lower levels."

Duo just eyed the man for a moment. "Let me see. Uniform, check. Badge, check. Firearm, check. Now just what in this picture screams 'Throw me out.'?" Duo watched as the man's face turned red, then pale.

"Nothing, everything. Let me see some ID that can't be faked or bought in a prop store."

Duo just pulled out his ID and handed it over. "That satisfy you?"

The man gave him a sour expression. "No, but it'll have to do. Winner hiring all his pretty boy friends doesn't make you the real deal. What are you doing up here?"

Duo glowered for a moment. "I'm checking out the security. Anyone could walk in here. This place is as secure as a playpen."

"Officer Glendale. Security is ... problematical, at best. I've been doing a walk around but ... it's just so damn open. And there's no way to secure the balconies, never mind the nightmare that those mezzanines are. At least not without causing a scene."

Duo just shrugged. "So ... cause a scene."

"And lose my job? I got kids, a wife and a mortgage."

Duo blinked for a moment. "Well, then, I'll do it. Lead on."

Duo caught Heero's eye as he walked by. Heero figured out exactly where Duo was going at a glance, his nod and smirk said it all.

Duo stood in the command room door for a moment, looking around. He had to shake his head, they hadn't done the simplest things. There was no feed from the ever present security cameras, no men stationed at sensitive points, no checks of ID, nothing. It was almost as if they were hoping that Relena got shot, stabbed, mobbed or ... something. Publicity was everything, safety, nothing.

A fussy sort in a starched set of UBDU's carrying a clipboard planted himself in Duo's way. Duo looked him up then down, snickering softly as he realized that the man was wearing soft ships boots instead of proper ones.

"Can I help you? Your name? Are you on the visitors list?"

Duo tugged at his braid for a second. "Yes, you can help me. Duo Maxwell. No, I'm not."

He got a snotty, down the nose look that made him grit his teeth. "I beg your pardon?"

"Don't, let's just not do this. I am who I say I am. And your security arrangements aren't."

The idiot raised one eyebrow. "Aren't what? If I may presume to ask."

"Secure. Where are the point men? The ID checkers? Ticket takers? Anyone who knows who's supposed to be where. Why don't you have feeds from the local cameras? And who the hell set the podium out in the middle of a public square with no cover?"

The man looked blank for a moment then just shrugged. "That's the responsibility of the //[ ]// department. It's not my concern."

Duo rubbed his face. "Oh, man." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Heero. It didn't take him long to explain the problem. He hung up and waited for a second, thinking. Then he called Quatre, he got Trowa, not that unusual now. He spoke to Trowa for a moment then hung up his phone and sighed.

"Ok, I'm in charge here now. You can call Peacecraft or Yuy. Or just kiss my ass, I don't care."

The fussy man started to say something but was interrupted by General Orton. "You'll do what Colonel Maxwell says to do. Now."

Duo just grinned one of his more maniacal grins and started in. "Heero, if you'd patch in all the local cameras, I'd appreciate it." Heero bent to his task with a smirk.

Then Duo proceeded to turn the entire operation on it's ear. He called in people and stationed them at points that Heero indicated didn't have a direct line of sight or camera feed. He also stationed people at all entryways. People who set up metal detectors and 'sniffers', small wands used to check people for chemicals on a forbidden list.

He fielded calls from nearly every vid broadcaster on the station and several newspapers. He also handled complaints from public relations for Relena, the hospital and some charity organization. They all wound up hanging up after issuing vague threats of retaliation. Duo sneered at it all and did his job. WEI public relations handled the backlash with aplomb. In other words, Milliardo told them to go fuck themselves. Mostly they retired to lick their wounds and grumble about security Nazis and crazy Gundam pilots. A few complained to Relena or Dorothy.

This didn't work very well as Relena referred them back to either Heero, who snarled at them like a wounded bear, or Milliardo, who just snapped, 'Too bad, deal.' and hung up. Dorothy was even worse, she threatened to announce a boycott of their publication, or service, by Miss Relena, a sure way to destroy their reputation.

.

After about half an hour of fiddling and fussing, Heero announced himself satisfied with the feeds. Duo rounded up a man that looked like he was actually a security man and told him to watch the feeds and notify him, Duo, if anything looked the least bit hinky. He got a nod in return.

Heero jerked his head and they headed back onto the floor to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. He had the feeling that all this was for nothing, but better do much for nothing than nothing and wind up with a dead Minister. He sighed, looked around and found a vantage point from which he could see the podium and all the foyer of the new annex.

They were just in time for Relena to enter from the small foyer behind the podium, glance around and ask her security a question. He bent to speak to her, she nodded then went to the podium and began her speech.

She talked for ten minutes exactly, praising the efforts of the various charities and businesses who'd donated to build the annex. Then praised the efforts of the construction workers, who'd built the building in record time and the doctors, nurses and medical professionals who were to man it. She ended with a graceful wave and smile, turned, took the giant scissors and helped the president of the hospital corporation cut the ribbon, opening the doors for the first time.

Duo rubbed the back of his neck. He was relieved that nothing had happened here, but something was in the works, he knew that. His eyes met Heero's and Heero just shrugged, raised an eyebrow and headed into the crowd.

Duo followed Relena into the annex and found her, three security men and General Orton arguing with some Senior VIP of the hospital. Wufei was standing by with a sour expression on his face and Milliardo, standing behind him, looked like he was about to go find his Gundam.

The man was 'there, there, little lady'-ing Relena who had a stubborn look on her face. He wanted her to appear in another open courtyard and give her speech again. He wanted to record it for 'prosperity', in other words, he wanted to get an exclusive, close up vid of it. He was trying to grasp Relena's hand, she was trying to keep him from it. Binky finally broke the montage. She didn't like the man, he was trying to touch her girl and her girl didn't want him to. Relena pulled away again and when the man tried to grab her, Binky nipped him sharply.

"Ouch! Why, that vicious little beast! I'll have her put down at once." He reached out to grab the growling dog and got an even nastier snap from Relena.

"You will not! You horrible, nasty little man. Who do you think you are? I'm not making my speech again, I'm not going anywhere with you and you most certainly are not going to put Binky down."

He puffed up like the toad he was. "I need that footage, young lady. You have no idea what goes on in the more rarified political stratifications." Relena sneered elegantly at that. "And, what are you going to do with that dog when you know dogs aren't allowed on construction sites. You're going to Mina Hurr next, right?"

Relena heard the gasp at the same time Heero did. Duo stood, stunned and wide-eyed, looking at Binky.

Relena turned to Milliardo and Wufei. "Get him out of my sight ... Now!" Her grim, grit-toothed expression moved them like nothing else could have. They grabbed the man and hustled him out the door which they slammed in his face.

"Duo, Duo, it'll be all right." Heero grabbed Duo around the waist and hugged him. "Don't worry. We'll figure out something."

Duo clutched at Heero's shoulders, shivering violently. "He said ... He said he'd have ... no!"

Milliardo closed in on Duo from the back. "No, not on my watch. Don't worry about that. Hush now." He eased his arms around both Heero and Duo.

Wufei eased up from the side and awkwardly patted Duo's shoulder. "No injustice such as that will I tolerate. Never." Duo tried to smile at that. Wufei always wound up talking funny when he was upset.

Relena just pulled out her phone and got very unhappy with some very high up VIP's. Her complaints produced instant action.

People appeared from somewhere, soothing hurriedly and hoping against hope that Her Royal Highness wasn't going to have a hissy fit. They hoped in vane.

Relena wasn't the sort to scream or yell, she just got very frosty. She pinned the sweating president of the board of directors with a look that was as cold as space. "I'd like to know exactly what you think you're doing. I was told that every precaution was to be taken. And yet, I'm placed in the middle of a vulnerable open space and no security precautions are taken at all. I'm just lucky that Heero and Duo were available to correct the situation. And then I'm accosted by a sweaty little man, who insists on touching me, and told that I have to give my speech all over again, with rewrites no less. And he threatened to have Duo's dog put down for defending me. Outrageous."

The President started to make some sort of excuse. Relena just pointed to Milliardo and walked over to the huddle of pilots. She expertly peeled Milliardo out of it and pushed him towards her opponent, "Deal with him. I'll fix this."

Milliardo walked over and started speaking softly, a sneer on his lips. Relena eased into the group hug, carrying Binky.

Binky knew something still wasn't right so she tried to fix it by licking Duo's chin. That was all it took, Duo broke down.

He sobbed softly, once, tears trickled down his flushed cheeks and he put his head on Heero's shoulder. Heero rubbed Duo's back gently, maneuvering Relena and Binky between him and Duo. "Don't worry, they'll hurt her over my dead body. They don't have the right anyway."

Relena sniffed. "They'll have to have a court order and I can't think of a court on this station that would have the nerve."

"But, they've got a lot of pull. What if some judge grants their petition on their word. What if someone manages to ... do something ... before we can get ..."

Relena knew exactly what Duo was afraid of. Some jumped up, self-important bean counter taking matters into his or her own hands and rushing things. Binky could be dead before they could get the order countermanded.

Milliardo came back with a scowl on his face. He looked like he'd bitten unexpectedly into something bitter. "The President of the Board of Directors assured me that there wouldn't be a problem. I don't believe him. Wufei?"

Wufei thought for a moment. "I'm not sure I believe him either. We need to do something now."

Duo shuddered. "I know. I don't trust them at all. We _do_ need to do something, but what?"

Milliardo's phone rang then Wufei's. Milliardo listened for a moment then sighed. "There's already been a court order issued. We need to act before they get here. But what..."

Relena bit her lip. "I have an idea, but ... Duo, you're not going to like it."

Duo sighed, blew his nose on a handkerchief that Heero handed him and gazed at Relena, heartbreak in his beautiful eyes. "What is it? Then I'll decide if I like it or not."

"My shuttle is leaving in exactly twenty minutes." She glanced at a clock on the wall to reaffirm her remark. "Yes, I'll just take her with me. That nasty man was right about one thing. You can't take her to Mina Hurr, it's a colony under construction. What if there's a gravity failure, or a vacuum incident? Where is she supposed to do her business? I'll take very good care of her...myself. She'll go everywhere with me. I swear ... and Dorothy will help. She likes Binky too."

Duo nodded after glancing at Heero. "I'm not taking chances. We'll do that. I would have to give her up anyway. Heero?"

Heero just nodded. "Let me print out a map. We'll take them to the shuttle ourselves. I don't trust security not to pull some stunt or other."

Heero put his tiny computer down on a table and quickly set it up. He tapped at his virtual keyboard for a moment then grinned. "Duo, how are you at scuttling."

Duo grinned, scuttling was spacer for using the utility and service corridors to get from one part of a station or colony to another, something that was frowned on by authorities.

"L-2 street rat, expert infiltrator. Need you ask?"

"No, but I thought it would cheer you up a bit. So?"

Relena sighed. She reached out at wiped the last of a tear off Duo's cheek with her soft thumb. "Duo, I'm so sorry. You can come see her any time you want, you know that, right?"

Duo gave her a smile that wavered a bit then straightened. "Sure, I know that. And thanks. Come on. Heero?"

Heero just handed him the map he'd printed out, pocketed his computer and eyed Relena. "That outfit, those shoes. Not ... good."

Relena just nodded, picked up the huge purse she carried and smirked. "One moment ... and turn your backs."

They all obediently turned their backs, glaring at the president and his assistant until they did the same.

When she said, "Ok, I'm ready." they turned back around to see that she was now dressed in sweats with a hood pulled up over her distinctive hair. Binky was nowhere to be seen, but she was still carrying that purse.

Duo blinked. "Um ..." then the purse wriggled. He laughed softly. "Ok. Move out. And, if anyone tries to stop us..."

Relena interrupted him. "Shoot first and hope someone knows the name to put on the toe tag."

Duo just chuckled darkly and led the way.

It wasn't as easy as you'd think, but Duo got them into the 'under-colony' and led the way. They climbed down a ladder into a ventilation shaft and followed that down three levels. Then Duo pulled out a key card, attached it to his computer via a USB 6 cord. He swiped the card through the reader and fiddled with his computer until it beeped. He re-swiped the card and the door obediently opened. Relena flinched at the smell.

"Sewers, sorry. But they're dry right now. On the wrong side of the rotation."

Relena made an enquiring noise so Duo cheerfully explained that the colony used a water purification system that relied on the sun to do most of the real work. The waste water was piped into huge vats, using the pipes they were in right now, and allowed to boil using the power of the sun to heat the black plastic containers. The steam was condensed and sent back into the pure water tanks. The residue was processed into sterile dirt and used to fill planters and the shallow trays the made up the lawns. And as the steam was piped from one area to another it also turned turbines which made electricity.

Relena sniffed delicately. "Very interesting. Are we there yet?" Binky barked her own desire to be out of the stinky pipes.

Duo laughed. "Nearly." He consulted his printout. "We turn here then go down another level, but we need to make sure to seal the door properly, it's a cleaning hatch and it wouldn't do to leave it leaking. After we get to the next level, we're on the home stretch. It's another vent duct and goes straight to the docking bay where your shuttle is docked." he stopped to look at a door, compared the numbers and announced, "Here we are, home stretch. Let's go."

This tunnel-like duct was much cleaner and sweeter smelling than the last one and Relena asked if it would be ok to let Binky down to walk on her leash. Duo nodded but told Wufei to be ready to snatch her up and run if they had to. Wufei just nodded.

Milliardo grumbled a bit, wondering how much longer it was going to be. He was most uncomfortable as the tallest of them he had to walk slightly bent over to keep from bumping his head on the 'ceiling'.

Heero snickered softly then grunted as Wufei elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop that. Milliardo will have a crick in his neck and I'm not in the mood to put up with a grumpy lover." Milliardo's soft 'Hey!' made them all laugh.

Duo grimaced a second later as their laughter echoed around the vent. If this had been during the war they'd be found but this was peace so he hoped that the noise would be discounted as something else, or ignored. It was and they came out of the vent behind a pile of boxes at floor level. He thanked his lucky stars for that. He didn't relish the thought of trying to get Relena and Binky down from an overhead vent grill.

Heero took point and led them from behind the boxes, shot a glance around the bay to find the door to the shuttle and headed for it at a quick trot. Milliardo leaned down and scooped up Binky, tucking her under one arm like a football.

They made it to the shuttle door before anyone even knew they were there, Duo made a note to send that bit of information to Relena's head of security. Even when they approached at a trot, no one tried to stop them.

Relena grumbled, "I know we're at peace but this makes me very uncomfortable. I don't like how loose the security is. They should have seen us by now. What's going on? Where is everyone?"

Wufei glanced around, saw a cluster of men and women and pointed. "There. Heero?"

"Take Relena and Binky to the shuttle, get them inside. I'll deal with this." He swerved towards the group, Duo at his heels. "No, Duo, you go with them. Milliardo, with me."

Heero approached the group silently, Milliardo right behind him. Duo followed Wufei and Relena to the shuttle.

"Excuse me, but ..." Heero could just as easily have set off a grenade in the middle of the group they all flinched so hard. So instead of asking politely, he glowered and snarled, "So, just exactly what is going on here?"

There was a scramble as the guards got lined up and at attention. Heero was slightly mollified, very slightly, when he realized that they'd all recognized either his face, his uniform or both. The slight widening of their eyes and paling of their faces let him know that not only did they recognize him, they recognized Milliardo. He didn't have to look at Milliardo's face to know what he looked like. He had to be in Lightening Count mode. Relena was his sister, after all, a danger to her safety had to have set him off, too.

Heero turned to Milliardo. "Would you like to take over? Or should I explain exactly what has happened?"

Milliardo nodded to the area behind the lined up security force. "See what was more interesting than Relena's safety, would you?"

Heero stalked around the line and took a quick look. There was a tarp spread on the deck and pieces of some sort of gun were scattered over it in a messy jumble.

"They're playing blindfold assembly." Heero poked the pieces with one toe, "And not very well from the scratches and dings on this."

Milliardo just snarled. He stalked from one end of the line to the other, stopping from time to time to give someone a close look. No one shifted a millimeter. Milliardo, no, the Lightening Count, asked in a silky voice, "Who here is actually assigned to guard Miss Relena?" half the people raised their hands. "I see. So ... someone took it upon themselves to allow ..." he stopped to count, "eight unauthorized people into a secure area. Now, does this make sense?" Heads shook in unison, a clear negative.

Heero smirked behind their backs. He was enjoying this enormously. He wasn't good at a dressing down although he could manage if he had to, he style was more 'shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out'. Milliardo's ice prince act was priceless, and scary.

"I'm glad it does, because I demand an intelligent reason why security was breached in such a shocking way. Someone? Anyone?" Milliardo looked from face to face and got no intelligent reply. He sighed. "Well, that's disappointing, to say the least." Milliardo was about to go on but he was interrupted by the commanding officer of this squad. He trotted up and saluted. "Sir! Excuse me, sir. I'll take over here. You're wanted in the shuttle. Sorry to interrupt but ..." Milliardo raised an eyebrow. "Rest assured that they'll regret their actions. Profoundly." Milliardo saluted back then bowed slightly. Heero just glared but he got a salute anyway.

"Come on. We need to get to the shuttle, let their commanding officer deal with their incompetence. I'm done with them." Milliardo's long legs carried him to the shuttle in no time, Heero kept up without seeming to trot, his shorter legs no disadvantage.

Heero entered the shuttle first and went straight to Duo. Duo was holding Binky and petting her, and crying. Binky was whimpering and licking the tears off his face. Heero sighed and sat down beside Duo, put his arms around Duo's shoulders and cried too.

Relena took in Wufei's pinched face and Milliardo's icy stillness. She realized that this was very stressful to all of the pilots present and sighed. She wanted Binky but she hated it that her pleasure came at so much pain for the others. But it was either this or hope the colony legal system worked. She wasn't inclined to trust it that much.

"Duo, I'm so sorry this has happened. But you know I'll take very good care of her. I won't trust her to my aides, Doro or I will be the only ones to walk her, feed her, take care of her. I swear she'll be so spoilt."

Duo sniffled softly. "I'm sorry I'm being such a wuss. I just never had a dog or any pet. I hate to give her up. But ... we can't take her to Mina Hurr. I'd have had to give her up sooner or later. I'd like ... will you send me pictures? An' ... stuff."

Relena patted Duo on the shoulder. "I'll send you pictures and you can come visit anytime you want."

Heero smiled at Relena over Duo's bent head. She smiled back and handed him a handkerchief from her purse. Heero handed it on to Duo who wiped his eyes and blew his nose on the square of linen. He smiled a bit shakily. "Thanks. That's good. I don't know when we'll get a chance but I'd really like that."

Binky barked then licked Duo's face, nearly breaking his shaky control. Heero petted her on the head then sighed. "I'm so sorry, Duo. We could ... do something else. Something ..." He stopped talking when Duo touched his lips with one slightly shaking finder.

"Shhhh. Don't be stupid, I'm just bein' a baby. I get to once in a while. The shrink said so."

Heero nodded. "Ok, but Relena really will take very good care of Binky. And I think she needs her now. Do you understand?"

Duo glanced over at Relena and nodded. He handed Binky back to Relena, wondering when he'd wound up with her, and gave Relena a shaky smile. "Here, you be real good to her, hear?"

"I do. I will." Relena cuddled Binky in her arms and sighed. She really did want the little dog, public relations be damned. She was going to take her everywhere with her. And if she nipped a pushy politician once in a while, they deserved it, didn't they?

The pilot of the shuttle stuck his head into the passenger compartment, saying softly, "Sorry to break this up, but it's time to go. We've only got a ten minute window. Say your good-byes, please."

Relena hugged everyone, Binky licking whatever flesh she could reach. Milliardo hugged her then kissed the top of her head. Duo hugged Relena then petted Binky, "Be a good girl, ok?" Heero hugged and petted then returned to Duo's side. Wufei bowed to Relena then stroked Binky gently. Everyone was upset but knew they didn't have anymore time.

The pilots filed out the door, closed and locked it then went behind the track of the open blast doors. The doors closed, the shuttle took off and they separated for their trips back to their apartments.

.

Wufei sighed, "That was so bad. I feel like I've been ... cheated somehow. And poor Duo, did you see his face? I thought my heart would break."

Milliardo nodded into (W)ufei's hair. "Yes, it's so unfair. But, we would have had to give her up eventually. I'm glad Relena agreed to take her. Dorothy and she will take good care of Binky. They'll find that walking her is a good excuse to get exercise themselves and her security and aides won't have a chance. She'll just give them that blue-eye, Little-Miss-Innocence look and say, "But, I promised I'd do it myself." They'll cave like wet cardboard. And good for her."

"I know, and that's the only comfort I find in this whole thing."

Milliardo settled more comfortably on the couch, he'd changed clothing the second they'd come into their apartment with Wufei not far behind. They'd both dumped the contents of their pockets onto the coffee table so both computers and both cell phones were close to hand when they began ringing, or in the case of the computers, beeping.

Wufei picked up his phone while Milliardo started his computer. Wufei made a face as a recorded message told him to hold for the prosecuting attorney's office. Milliardo blinked as his email opened several windows at once.

Wufei listened to his phone for all of three seconds then started yelling in Taiwanese, Milliardo recognized enough to be a bit shocked at the profanity.

He focused on the first email. It was a subpoena telling him that he was to be available for testimony at a trial of one of the men who'd been arrested in the Galaxy Tours scandal. There was one for Wufei as well. As he paged through the emails he realized that there was one for each of them for every man, and woman, who'd been arrested. He wondered if Heero and Duo had gotten them too. He realized why Wufei was so mad. They wouldn't be going to Mina Hurr anytime soon.

.

Duo grumbled as he and Heero were heading for their, now, very empty apartment. "I don't want to go back there. What's there that we need?"

Heero thought about that for a moment. "Not that much. We could get it all into two backpacks and a big duffel. But we don't have a duffel."

Duo pointed. "We got our uniforms there, why don't we just go see if they have the sort of duffel we need. I'm not real happy with the suitcases we have now. Feel all wrong. You know?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah. What do you have on that sneaky little mind of yours?"

"I really don't want to stay here anymore. We have stuff we need to be doing on Mina Hurr. Why don't we catch the next shuttle over and just go? I think I'd like that."

"How's your back feel?" Heero eased an arm around Duo's shoulders, hugging him slightly for mutual comfort. He was a great deal more upset about Binky than anyone other than the other pilots would ever know.

"I feel good. Not up to a lot of strain, yet. But I'm not going to do anything to hurt myself. I don't need to." Duo opened the door to the uniform shop and they went in.

It didn't take them long to pick up two big duffels and pay for them. They returned to their empty apartment and cleaned it out in ten minutes.

They met at the door. Heero glanced around while Duo prowled through the rooms, checking to see that they hadn't left anything behind.

"We got it all? Everything?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, we have some more stuff, but it's mostly down on Earth. We'll claim it when we get settled?" He made a question of the last sentence.

Heero nodded. "Sure. Most of it anyway. We better get going. And turn off all your electronics. You know we'll have to do it in the back-port sooner or later. It's better not to set off alarms when we're asking for a favor."

Duo grinned and turned off both his phone and computer, Heero did the same and they were out the door and on their way.

They stayed close to each other and made it to the port in record time, mainly because Duo already knew the way to the port through the under-colony.

When they started asking around for a transport to Mina Hurr they were told that there was one leaving almost at once. It had just come up from Earth with a super-secret shipment of equipment and was only laying over long enough to refuel. They could talk to the captain about getting a berth.

So they hurried to the docking bay and managed to get a word with the captain. He just smiled at them and said that they were welcome aboard. Heero wondered why the captain had been so willing to take them but kept his mouth shut. It wasn't as if he was going to do anything to them, they could still take care of themselves.

Duo let out a shout when he saw the logo on the side of the shuttle. It bore the WEI logo along with the logo of Mina Hurr. And the logo that meant it was a Neo-Gundam carrier. Heero grinned happily. Their neo-gundams were in there, on their way to Mina Hurr. It seemed fitting that the pilots went with their mecha.

Neither Heero nor Duo would find out that they'd dodged a 'bullet' until much later.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 9/?

Word count: 7962

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Authors note: Not much of a real plot so much as just incidents in building a colony and how the boys handle them.

Heero took both the duffels and stuffed them into the luggage compartment under one of the beds. The tiny cabin they had been shown had two beds, a small drop-down table and a 'convenience' under one bed. The storage was under the other. There were cupboards over the bunks and they'd stored the few things they would need over the next few days in them.

"You about ready?" Duo opened one door to rummage for his toiletries. "I want a look at the showers and stuff."

Heero found his own ditty bag and grunted. He had a very funny feeling about this transport and it was making him irritable.

Duo noticed this and patted Heero on the shoulder. "What's wrong? You're acting like Old Mr. Grumpy Pants."

"Don't know. Something. That's what's making me grouchy. I can't figure it out."

"Oh, well, we'll just snoop around a bit. Maybe we can find it."

Heero nodded his agreement and opened the door to their glorified cubicle. "Ok, let's go down to the hold and see what the cargo is. I'm aching to find out."

Duo gave a little crow of delight. "Oh, man, Mr. Stoic finally got a bump of curiosity. Great! Let's go."

"And we can find the mess, too. I'm hungry."

"Again?"

"I'm a growing boy. I'm always hungry."

Heero snorted, smacked Duo on the back of the head and, deciding on left, started down the corridor. Duo trotted to catch up. They continued side by side, and in step, neither noticed.

The mess was one deck down and a corridor over from core, or the center and largest corridor on the ship. They stopped there for a quick bite to eat and Heero watched Duo pump all the nearest men and women about what was in the cargo hold. He charmed and chattered—and failed. No one would tell him anything, all they did was give him amused and rather condescending looks and try to distract him with stories. Heero sighed when he realized that Duo was really getting angry. This wasn't good. Shinigami was way too close to the surface, no matter what anyone thought.

He draped his arm over Duo's shoulder and guided him out the door, murmuring in his ear, "Come on, Duo, if these people want to treat you like a kid, let's go down to the cargo hold and look all wide eyed and impressed."

Duo snarled, "I hate it when they do that. What gives them the right to treat people that way? I mean, even real kids deserve respect. Fuck!"

Heero patted Duo gently. "Don't get all upset. They mostly don't recognize us. It's really beneficial. You really want them all, "Oh, my god, a Gundam pilot."?

Duo rubbed his face then turned to press it against Heero's shoulder. Heero just leaned against the wall and let him. Duo's emotions had been very up and down since his wounding. Heero had been told that it was going to be that way for a while. He just supported Duo as best he could.

"Sorry, really. I'm just ... off balance still. Not physically but emotionally. I'll do better."

Heero just rubbed Duo's back. "You're doing fine now. Come on, let's see if we can't sneak into the hold."

Duo brightened at once, he did love sneaking around, although he'd deny it with his last breath if asked. Heero couldn't help but remember that Duo was the stealth expert in the group.

Duo leaned against the wall for a moment, arms crossed over his chest, one ankle crossed over the other. Heero waited patiently as Duo consulted the index of ship layouts he carried in his head.

"Ok, got it. Mmmm, we need to go down two more levels and straight back for .... six. There's an access hatch there where we can get into the vents. We'll follow them stern way for about twenty feet and that'll put us at one of the ceiling vents over the cargo bay. I'll take a quick look then we'll reassess the situation and make a decision on whether we want to cause a disturbance /severe/ enough to allow access or retreat."

Heero sighed slightly, his only sign of his happiness. This was looking to be either a great deal of fun or put them in a really bad situation.

"Mission accepted. Let's go."

Duo smacked him on the shoulder, grinned and led out. They took the route Duo had mapped out and Heero held Duo while he /hung/ out of the vent to get a good look around. He dragged Duo back into the ventilation duct in exactly six seconds, like Duo had instructed him.

"Nope. Couldn't see anything much. There's a huge pile of netted boxes in the way. We need to go farther in."

They moved and Duo tried again. This time he lay on his back for several heart stopping moments then he sat up and grabbed Heero. He hugged him and whispered in his ear, to keep echoes from giving them away, "It's our gundams. They're here. I thought they would already be at Mina Hurr but they're right over there. Oh, mugod. Come on."

Heero couldn't help but give Duo another hug, it also helped him whisper back, "Calm, calm. If we make a noise, they'll be all over us. What are our gundams doing here? Where would ... Quatre! He's having them taken to Mina Hurr secretly. There's been some rumblings about having them destroyed as war machines. He's getting them out of ESUN jurisdiction." Duo made a soft sound of denial. "Shhh, not going to happen. Ease back the way we came. Let's see if we can't get in the ... legal way."

Duo snickered softly and started back the way they'd come.

It didn't take them long to get back out of the vents. Heero breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't get caught. He didn't want to have to explain what they were doing. It was just way easier to do things 'black ops' style, than to go through the constant explaining that, "No, they weren't ordinary teenagers. Yes, they were, in fact, Gundam pilots." He knew Duo was just as weary of it as he was and the fact that they were back in the colonies hadn't changed things that much. More people knew them by sight but most of them were either in Sweepers or weren't the kind of people that they wanted to recognize them.

Duo tugged Heero into a small side room, just off the cargo bay door, and flopped into a convenient chair. "Ok, now what. Do we go to the captain and demand to get to our suits? Or do we go to the hold master?"

Heero leaned against the door and thought, running his hands through his hair. "Ummmm. I really think we just walk up like we belong there and go in. The worst they'll do is run us off."

"Ok. Let's go. I can't wait to see 'Scythe close up again."

Heero opened the door, peeked out and then just walked into the corridor. No one was in it so they walked the few feet to the huge blast doors that sealed the air lock to the cargo bay. The smaller side door was open and Heero stuck his head in. No one yelled at him or anything so he slipped quietly into the room, Duo followed just as quietly.

"Security sucks, I'm having a real talk with Quatre."

Heero snorted. "We're at peace. Security is almost nonexistent now. They've gotten complaisant, almost lazy. Things are different, very different. In some ways they're better, in some, they're much worse. So, enough of these heart burnings. I want Wing."

"Ok, let's go see." Duo eased behind the pile of boxes and he and Heero took their time checking out security around the gundams and figuring out how to make their approach.

Heero sighed as a sudden thought hit him. "Why are we doing this? Why don't we just walk up and ask to see them?"

Duo gave him a deer in the headlights look. "Um ... because? Um ... no idea."

Heero sat down on the floor and started to laugh. Duo had to join him. Why, exactly, were they sneaking around a WEI cargo carrier trying to steal a peek at their own machines?

They were interrupted by a voice from overhead. "Ok, you two, what are you doing here? And where are your parents?"

Duo shrugged. "Dead, last I knew. And we want to see our gundams. Ok?"

Heero smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't be a wise ass."

Duo just grumbled a bit but gave the man looming over them a hopeful look. The man looked back for a moment then said, "Sorry. I'll have to escort you out now. No one's allowed in here except for the maintenance crew. And the pilots. Although most of us wouldn't know them if they came up and bit us. Lady Peacecraft managed to keep their pictures out of the papers and what not. Don't blame them for not wanting their pictures all over the place. I know Maxwell got some pic taken when he got captured but they're so bad no one but his mother would recognize him. Come on. Captain'll have my head, letting you hang around like this."

Heero blinked at Duo, they'd both forgotten completely about Relena's relentless campaign to keep them out of the news. Duo grinned, Heero just sighed.

"Ok, I'm really sorry. Can we just have a peek? Please? Are any of the maintenance crew around?"

Heero groaned. "Damn it, Duo. None of them saw us. Remember?"

"Yeah, that's right. Would the captain know us?"

Heero shook his head. "Not unless Quatre put a picture in our jacket. I don't think he did. We're so sunk."

"Don't give up. Let's just ask the captain. I'm still not used to this sort of thing. You think ... we'll ever?"

Heero gave Duo a soft look. "Maybe...in ten or fifteen years. Let's just ... No, damn it, I want to see Wing! So what do we do?"

The crew man, naturally confused, demanded, "What the hell are you two on about? You can't stay here. If you don't leave, the captain'll have my head, like I already said. So come on, don't cause a lot of trouble. Let's go."

Duo shrugged. "Ok, Heero, let's try to do it the," He hacked like a cat coughing up a hairball, "right way. If that fails, we'll try something else."

Heero nodded a bit stiffly. "We'll go see the captain."

They docilely let the crewman practically hand deliver them to the blast doors and out the small side door.

They headed straight for the captain's ready room, they made it to the deck below the bridge and no farther.

Duo growled at the security man who'd refused them entry. "Look, I don't know what's going on here but this is ridiculous. That's my gundam down there and I want to see 'Scythe. So, go get the captain and tell him I want to see him"

"Ok, kid, don't get your panties in a bunch. Do you have any idea how many Duo Maxwell wannabes there are? And all of them trying to get into the pilot's seat of that gundam? Got ID? If you do, I'll take it and run it. Then we'll see about getting you in to see the captain."

Duo snarled, tugged his ID out of his pocket and tossed it at the man. Heero gave him a slightly apologetic look and handed over his ID. The man walked away with the wallets in his hand.

When he came back the expression on his face was everything that Duo could have hoped for. He looked slightly stunned, gave them back their ID and announced that he would escort them to the captain's ready room himself.

.

The captain turned from his examination of some sort of chart on the wall. "Well, I see ... oh! ... damn, but you guys look young." The captain flushed heavily.

"That's ok, dude. Everyone says something like that the first time they see us. Um ... does that mean you believe us?"

Captain Martin shook his head. "No, that means that I ran your ID through WEI Central and got a good ID. I believe them. The pictures are not very flattering, like all ID pic, they make you both look in your twenties. Damn, but that's that. You'll be given complete access to all parts of the bay. I think it might be a good idea to make contact with your maintenance crews. Ok?"

Duo grinned and nodded, Heero just gave a short nod.

They turned around and went back the way they'd come. This time they were allowed into the bay without interference and were introduced to the teams that were responsible for maintaining their gundams. Heero thought, rather wistfully, of the time when they were responsible for that themselves. He couldn't help but see that Duo was a bit put off by this new arrangement himself.

He leaned over and tugged at Duo. Duo sighed and tried to relax. "I'm going to have to run operational checks like crazy. I just ... I don't like it. I know it's crazy, but it really makes me uncomfortable, having someone else perform maintenance on 'Scythe."

"I know. I wouldn't even let you work on Wing and I know and trust you. I've never even seen most of these people. And, you know, I'll be running every checklist I know the second I'm in the hot seat."

They both paid attention when Captain Martin introduced them to their crews. There were only a few, a mechanic, a systems analyst, an electrician, and a personal suit maintenance tech, the person in charge of their 'space' suit. Duo greeted his crew with a smile and a wave. Heero just retreated into "Perfect Soldier" mode and nodded, one curt bob of his head, then demanded to see Wing.

Duo scrambled over 'Scythe like a monkey. His crew trembled in fear that he would fall. They were relieved when he came back down to the deck and demanded to see his ship suit, the skintight suit that went under his vacuum suit. He cheerfully admitted that he hated the term space suit.

The suit tech led him to see his suit, sure that he was going to have a hard time with this boy. He was right. Duo went over every seam in the suit and checked the helmet, oxy tanks, and all the electronics, twice. He realized then that Duo was one of the people in the Galaxy Tours fiasco and felt a little better.

"It's really ok. I check it every time I fill the bottles. And I flush them before filling, unless there's a real emergency, then I just top them up. I'd like you to try the suit on so I can adjust it for you personally. It's a small so it should fit you but you know how it is to sit on a wrinkle."

Duo made a face. "Yeah, blisters on my butt are not something I want to experience again. How much do you want me to take off?"

The handler shrugged, "As much as you're comfortable with."

Duo laughed a bit. "I'm a Gundam pilot, I'm actually comfortable naked. So ... how much."

"Down to your skivvies. Or whatever you're going to wear under the ship suit."

Duo stripped to his shorts and stood for the man to measure. He measured quickly and competently, refraining from comment on the various scars scattered over Duo's body. He checked his measurements against the common catalogue, the list of standard sizes available, and announced that he could fit Duo from stock. Duo grinned and demanded black and purple.

While Duo was getting measured, Heero was doing the same. His crew eyed him with some misgivings. He was much broader in the shoulders than he should be and his glower was a bit off putting. His suit handler managed to measure him without setting off his reflexes then slapped him on the back, which got him a punch in the face. Heero immediately apologized but they had to take the man to the sick bay. He was slightly concussed. Heero calmly announced that he didn't require a handler, or a maintenance crew. He then proceeded to go over his vacuum suit, examining every seam.

.

The teams met in the ready room off the bay. None of them were very happy.

Team 01's leader, the mechanic of that group, sighed, "Ok, we're in a world of hurt. Those guys are so young, and independent, they're never going to be team players. They're ex-terrorists, used to taking care of themselves and their machines, without outside interference. So, we've got two choices, let them run rampant all over us, or teach them how things should work. We'll either lose our jobs or hammer this whole mess into a force to be reckoned with."

The consensus was that they had their work cut out for them. The suit techs were going to get the brunt of it as they had the most personal contact with the pilots. Mac Spencer, Heero's tech and the person he'd cold-cocked was of the opinion that it was beyond them and resigned himself to looking for a new job.

The roster as introduced to the two pilots was: mechanic:

Tommy Sicard, Heero

Jacob Grange, Duo

systems analyst:

Alfred Pawlak, Heero

Jerome Bartlet, Duo

electrician:

Oacar Felty, Heero

Ray Fishback, Duo

suit tech:

Mac Spencer, Heero.

Dan Petrin, Duo

They had both noticed that there were no women on the teams and Heero had concluded that someone, probably Trowa, had realized that they would both be uncomfortable with female attendants. Quatre would think of it but after the fact.

Heero settled on the bench in the locker room and stared at the door of his locker with a sour expression on his face. Duo, on the same bench, sighed and rubbed his face. "Not going to work, is it?"

Heero shook his head. "No, don't think so. I cold-cocked my handler. He slapped me on the back. I really don't think they realize who we are."

"Yeah, or they're takin' a cruise in Egypt."

"Not now, Duo."

"Sorry. They're in denial. They don't want to believe that someone had the ultimate in crazy and sent kids to do the job of grown men. People don't recognize us because they don't want to. My shrink said I'd probably have problems until I'm 40."

Heero acknowledged that remark with a typical grunt. His 'hn' made Duo sigh again. "Mine did too. He also said that I'm asocial."

Duo gave Heero a rather blank look. "And what's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, it's better than being anti-social...isn't it?" Heero picked at a cuticle absently. He was going over everything that had happened and trying to find a solution to their dilemma.

Neither one of them was comfortable with having a crew of strangers messing with their suits, nor were they happy with the thought that their discomfort would cost these people their jobs. Duo worked on the problem in his own way.

"Ok, Heero, how uncomfortable are you with this? On a scale of one to ten. One being; "Not bothered at all.", and ten being; "Need to shoot someone now". I'm about a six or seven."

Heero thought about it for a moment. "About an eight. My skin keeps crawling. I don't like it when any of them get behind me."

Duo sighed. "Me neither. I thought ... but ... well, shit. Never mind. We just have to deal and get on with it."

Heero nibbled at his lower lip making Duo want to kiss it. "Maybe if we just go talk to them. We're team players after all, just not this particular team. You're the expert in emotions and creating team bonds. I'm just ... out of my depth, completely."

Duo twisted to hug Heero who accepted the embrace and returned it. "I'll see what the teams think about a joint meeting. We'll just lay it out for them and see what explodes. It's the best I can come up with."

"Ok, I'll let you call the meeting. I think I need to calm down some before then."

"Fine, see you in a few." Duo stood up, patted Heero on the shoulder and padded quietly away, intent on getting all the crew members together and sorting out things before the situation got completely out of hand.

He poked his head into the ready room and saw both crews sitting at the large central table. They looked up guiltily, Duo just grinned.

"Jawing over the problem?" Heads nodded, men squirmed in dismay. "Great. I'll give Heero about ten minutes to calm down and we'll have a little confab. Coffee? Tea?" One man pointed to a fresh made pot while another just got up to make some tea. Duo gave them the old happy go lucky Duo grin and announced to the room. "Ah-ha! Coffeecoffeecoffee, java, go juice, jamoka! Great." He poured himself a mug and settled at the foot of the table. "Ok, people, this is the scuttlebutt. We both are the real deal, Gundam Pilots, and we're both twitchy as hell. Never mind that it's been over a year and we've had a shitload of counseling, neither one of us is getting over that war any time soon. So, we've got to deal, figure out something, and quick. Ideas?"

The discussion was lively and Duo was happy to hear that no one suggested that they just get over it. Various suggestions to make both pilots more comfortable were advanced, none of them seemed really workable. Duo was more interested in the group's willingness to compromise than he was in the actual suggestions. He was nodding his head rather blandly when Heero finally came into the room.

"Hello, everyone. Sorry it took me so long to get here. I had some thinking to do. Duo?"

"So far, no joy. Still river, Egypt and so on. You got game?"

Heero swatted Duo gently on the head. "Cryptic much? Stop it. If we start in gundam speak we'll never get anywhere."

Duo laughed softly. "Ok, Ok. Ease off, sit. There's tea." Duo offered that with a hopeful look.

Heero accepted the cup from his handler with a nod. "Thank you. Um ... sorry about earlier, are you ok now?"

Mac just shrugged a bit. "Yeah, hard head. I'm sorry, too. I know better than to smack a pilot. I'll be more careful from now on."

Heero looked up at the man, relief evident in his eyes. "I will be, too. We all need to establish some rules, so Duo and I don't kill someone by accident. I don't mind on purpose when necessary but accident? No."

There were a few nervous laughs at that and Duo cracked up cackling 'like a hen a'laying' as Tommy put it. They talked some more, drinking coffee and tea, hammering out rules meant to keep Duo and Heero more comfortable with having these men around them and their suits. It didn't take long really and everyone was satisfied with most of them, no one expected to be happy with all the rules. They were content with most of them.

.

Duo settled in his pilot's seat. "01 to control. Com check commencing." Duo went through the entire checklist with the com officer. He also went through every checklist with each member of his support team. This was agreed on by both pilot and team. Everyone knew that the suits were in top condition, this was more to get used to working together than anything else.

Heero nodded to his suit tech/handler. "Ready?"

"Yeah, here's your checklist." Heero smirked a bit. "Ok, Ok, I know you've got it memorized. You still need to tick the boxes. Give me a break, Ok?"

"Ok, I know you have to have proof that I really did the checks but it's kinda hard to get used to this. I remember when I was lucky to have ... simple things. Like food. Now, I guess I'm just not used to having support like this. I feel weird. Let's get going then." Heero ducked his head, a bit embarrassed and turned to take the zipline up to his cockpit. His crew realized how hard even that bit of emotion had been and were suitably impressed. They also ran checks, twice. Once, because Heero needed to connect with them and again because there was a bet that he wouldn't really know every check from memory. Tommy stood in the cockpit door to prove that Heero wasn't using a cheat sheet, Duo stood at the control board at the back of the bay with Oscar to make sure that he didn't skip something. No one would dare accuse the other of cheating, but fair was fair. Alfred collected the bets and handed the money over to Heero with a small bow when the check was completed.

"Boy, you've got a memory like a steel trap."

Heero counted his money and smirked at them all. "No, that's Duo. Make him figure launch coordinates and fuel consumption."

Duo laughed softly. "Heero, no bets."

Heero just scowled at him for a second. "You're no fun."

"Maybe not, but I'm hungry, supper would be nice."

"Ok, let's go." Heero looked at his watch. "Long day."

Duo sighed, stretched and agreed. The crew all groaned and moaned too.

It had been a long day. They'd started on the station in late afternoon. After a full day of work they'd gotten aboard, settled in their room then gone to eat. They'd found the gundams, gotten permission to take over their machines and now, after a full day of checking them over and bonding with their crews they'd been up for over 36 hours.

Heero said as much to Duo who just groaned again. "Man, I don't believe it. I thought we were done with all this shit."

"Well, we needed to bond with our crews, make sure the gundams are ready for deployment and ... um ... we could have done all the checks tomorrow, couldn't we?"

"Yup. So, supper, bed?"

"In that order." Heero turned to his crew, smiling slightly. "Thank you, gentlemen. Dismissed." The crew all saluted and scattered, grumbling genially about their young 'Chief' and his endurance.

Duo thanked and dismissed his crew as well, getting similar grumbling.

Duo watched the teams scattering for a moment. "Well, that went well. What do you think?"

"The same. I also think I'm hungry, sleepy and I really, really need a shower. Come on."

Duo followed Heero back to the mess, only to find out that, since they were in the middle of the ship's 'night', it was closed.

They were standing in the corridor grumbling about the fact that they were going to have to go to bed hungry when a passing crew woman asked their rank. When they told her that their WEI Security rank was Colonel, she told them to go to the officer's mess, which was open 24/7.

They followed her directions and found the mess open and busy. It was shift change and the officers going off watch were catching a quick supper before bed. Heero smiled a bit. This was his doing, officers went off duty on a different schedule than crew. They stayed two hours after the crew shift change. This made shift change go much smoother but it also put the second shift officers getting off shift at 7pm and third off at 3am. The officer's mess was the only place the get food after 6pm and before 5am. A few NCO's braved the rarified air of the mess and were accommodated, even having their own table.

Duo joined the line with Heero right behind him. He smiled at the first server who blinked for a second then asked him where his parents were. The man got a smack from the next server in the line, who hissed, "Gundam pilot, shut up!" Duo snickered and just pointed to what he wanted. He got served and moved on. Heero just glowered at the man, who served him silently.

They made their way through the line without further incident and searched for a place to sit. There were certain requirements for a comfortable place. One, they needed their backs to a wall. Two, they had to be able to see the room and all access points. The back to the wall was easy, finding a place where they could also see all the doors was a bit more difficult. Heero looked around the room for a moment then walked over to a table and settled in. Almost immediately a private came over to tell them that this was the Captain's table and they couldn't sit there.

Duo just pulled his ID out of his pocket and shoved it at him while stuffing a forkful of some tuna thing in his mouth. Heero grunted once, showed his ID and went back to eating his own supper.

"Oh, ok, um ... Colonel Yuy, Colonel Maxwell; would you like some coffee or other beverage?"

Heero glanced up, grunted, "Milk." and returned to eating. Duo grinned, seconded the milk and poked Heero. "Be nice."

"He's still alive, isn't he?" Heero wasn't as quiet as he could have been. Duo grinned as heads turned.

"Yeah, that he is. Finish your food and let's get to bed. If we sleep soon, we'll be able to wake up around 9am ship time and that'll put us back on first shift in two days. I want to run some actual test flights with our gundams." The server returned with the milk and set a big glass in front of them. "Oh, thanks, man. What watch does the Captain usually run?"

"Second, sir. Second runs third and some young pup runs first. Whoever the captain has in training at the moment. Captain says that first watch is best for that because he keeps all the most experienced NCO's on it." He gave a half salute and turned to go, calling over his shoulder, "Just leave your stuff, I'll get it for you. Once. Welcome to the Bat."

Duo choked on his milk. "The Bat. Oh, man, Quatre really did it, didn't he?"

"Yup. He said he was going to copy Libra in scale and make it the flagship of his fleet. Color me boggled."

"Me too. Man, oh man. We have to get a copy of the plans, I could have really messed up. I thought this was a cruiser class. Lucky us. I'm too tired to worry about that now. I'm done eating, let's get to bed so I don't actually make a fool of myself."

"Libra was based on the super cruiser class. You did ok. We didn't wind up in the middle of the engines or the power plant. But, you're right, we need to go to bed."

.

They slept until 10am then called their crews to the bay for test runs of both gundams. They had been very lucky on their first mission with the new machines, lucky that nothing had gone wrong and they knew it.

They met in the bay and Heero addressed the combined crews. "We're not used to having any help at all. During the war, we did it all. I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know but it needs repeating. We're all going to have to learn to work together. We have to get used to each other. So, today, we're going through each step of the launch procedure except the actual launch, then we're going through landing. We need to pay special attention to suiting up and unsuiting. Any questions?"

Heero waited for a moment then pointed to the hand raised in the back.

Dan Petrin, Duo's suit tech, rubbed the back of his neck. "Is there anything that we can do to make you more comfortable with the process?"

Heero nodded once. "Yes, don't get behind me, or in a blind spot without letting me see you do it. Talk to me, tell me what you're doing. Duo?"

"Same with me. I don't care if you tell fairy tales as long as I can track you some way."

There was some nodding and a few expressions of dismay. This was something that they hadn't counted on, they now realized that both Duo and Heero had some level of PTSD, or battle fatigue.

"Um ... you guys in counseling? None of my business in the general run of things but, if you're going to keep it together, you need something."

Heero grinned. "I had a shrink but he's on Earth. I'll make arrangements when we get to Mina Hurr. Duo will too. Quatre would skin us if we didn't. Ok?"

Sighs and grins met this announcement and they turned to the business of the day.

They suited up first thing, donning the spandex suit skin then eeling into the suit. Duo bit his lip as his back gave a twinge.

"Hey, what hurt? If you don't tell me I can't fix the suit to make up for problems."

Duo sighed. "I stretched the scar on my back too much. It's still a bit tender."

"Ok, let me see it closer. I got a glimpse of it while you were putting on the skin. Is that where you caught the shrapnel?"

"Yeah, they thought I was going to be paralyzed but the surgeons fixed me up. It's still tender, like I said, and stretching the skin hurt more than I thought it would."

Dan sighed and helped Duo seal his suit. "I'll need to take a look at it when you get out of the suit. I might want you to see a medic. There's all kinds of stuff you can use to fix that. I just don't want to put the wrong stuff on you." Duo mumbled something as Dan eased the helmet over his head. 'Speak up, I don't have your mic on yet."

Duo grinned through the faceplate and shrugged. Dan tapped some keys on his handheld and then said, "Test, test. Hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you. Heero's got a cream the doc gave him. He's supposed to put it on twice a day. So far, no go. I'll have him give some to you, or the prescription ... whatever. You can put it on before I suit up. Ok?"

"Sure, sounds good to me. Ok, you're all buttoned up and ready to rumble."

.

Heero consulted with Alfred about a small glitch the man had found in Wing's programming. Heero took a second to reprogram that section while Alfred looked on. "Oh, shit. You just did that on the fly. I really hate you."

Heero gave Alfred a startled look then realized that the man was joking. "No, you don't. You're just frustrated that I did what you can't. But you really wouldn't have liked my training. Now. Suit."

Heero requested privacy to put on the skin suit, he wasn't body shy by any means but had learned that he didn't like the stares that his scars caused. He allowed his handler to help him into the vacuum suit and headed for Wing. He was really anxious to sit in the pilot's chair again.

Heero and Duo met in the short corridor between the changing rooms and the main bay. Duo grinned. "My handler wants some of that cream the doctor gave you."

Heero managed to pull off looking guilty without actually changing expression. "Damn, I actually forgot about it. I'll give him the jar I have and get the pharmacist's mate to make me some more."

Duo nodded. "That's a good idea. Where is it?"

"In my duffle. I'll send it down by hand after our workout."

"Ok, that's good. You ready?" Duo turned to go to his gundam.

"Yeah, launch? Or walk through."

Duo paused to turn and gaze back at Heero. "You really want to launch?"

"Yeah, but we ought to do a walk through first. Just in case."

"Ok, walk through then, if the WT is good, we launch for real."

Heero nodded and walked on to Wing. He activated the zip line and let it take him the twenty feet up to the cockpit. He eased into his chair and started his checklists. He could hear Duo through the open speaker in his helmet and he knew that Duo could hear him.

"Check list complete. 01 ... 02, you ready?"

"02 ... 01, that's A-ok. Right behind you."

"01 ... Control, request permission to walk about."

"Control ... 01 permission granted."

"02 ... Control, permission to walk also."

"Control ... 02, are you sure that it is safe?"

"02 ... control, no problems. We're a team. We have to get used to this again. New machines."

"01 ... Control and 02, can the chatter. 02, get to work."

Duo snorted his amusement. Control refrained from comment, Heero's demand for a radio free of distracting babble was justified.

Heero disengaged the docking clamps and walked Wing out of his rack. Duo followed a few seconds later. They walked around the bay finally getting to do more with their new gundams than rush into combat.

Heero opened the feed to his PA system and announced. "Commencing walk about. All personnel remain close to the walls. Keep the middle of the bay clear."

Everyone on both crews rushed to the observation deck to watch the gundam test runs. Heero walked back and forth, did deep knee bends and bent over. Duo did the same. They'd rushed into combat to rescue Relena but they weren't really used to the new machines, it would take time to bond with them until they were extensions of the pilots like their old machines had been.

They walked around some more before they stepped into the launch catapults and locked the boots of the gundams into the catches. The catches usually initiated a launch count down but the auto launch procedure was disabled for the exercise. They were going to do a manual launch, up to but not including actual launch. The bay doors wouldn't be opened.

Heero started his manual checks, this way they could check that all the steps were going according to procedures, to make sure that the auto launch was working correctly. Duo was also doing a manual launch for the same reason. They would use the same launch catapult every time they launched.

Duo ran his checklists and grumbled to himself. He was happy to have Neo-'Scythe, very much so. But getting really used to his new buddy was going to be hell. "Muscle memory is a bitch."

"With kittens. I'm having a hard time with the left arm. It seems really different from Wing."

"This Wing have a shield?"

"No. The boffins modified your stealth shields to be blast shields too. Check them out. Why?"

"Left arm had an attachment for the shield. Weight's really different now. It'll take you time to get used to it. Do something with just the left arm."

"Oh, yeah. How are you doing?"

"Ok, except that the walk is completely different. And it's weird. Nothing changed in the legs that I can find."

"Maybe it's your back that's the problem. Just walk around for a while and see if that doesn't help. I'll watch you."

Control butted in with, "People, could you please identify yourselves so we can track you?"

"01 ... Control. Sorry. We're still used to recognizing voices. Keep reminding us."

"Control ... 01 and 02, perhaps you need to be on separate channels."

"02 ... Control. No! I need to hear everything. I can separate you out."

"01 ... Control. Negative, I need to hear what 02 is saying."

They could hear Control grumbling over a still open mic. Neither Heero nor Duo said anything. Control was going to have to get used to the way they worked, not the other way around.

Duo walked back and forth across one end of the bay while Heero flexed and straightened the left arm of his gundam. They worked for half an hour before their crews called them in to take a break. Heero replied that he didn't need one yet, Duo came in for a drink and a replacement air conditioner.

His had failed two or three minutes before the call in and he'd been just about to ask for a replacement. He walked over to the rack and stepped back into it, the magnetic supports locked and he began the shut down sequences. It took him five minutes to do the shut down and checklists then he opened the hatch and took the zipline down to the bay deck.

Dan walked up to him, directly in front, so that Duo could see him easily. "Here's a new unit. It won't take me but a sec to change them out. We haven't had any trouble with them but I'll give it the once over to see what's up. Need a drink?"

Duo smacked his lips and grumbled, "Yeah, I really do. Seven minutes it that sauna and I'm bone dry. Got lemonade?"

"Yeah, and a couple of trainees. Try not to kill them, Ok?"

Duo groaned. "And why am I putting up with trainees and a new suit?"

"Back up. In case one of you psychos steps on someone."

Duo snorted then laughed. "I'm not a psycho, my shrink said so." He turned his head to accept a drink from some kid in a bright pink jumpsuit. "Thanks." Duo waited until Dan buttoned him up again and checked the seals. "Back on the horse. Thanks, feels a lot cooler now. Tell that kid that I'm not going to eat him, will you?"

Dan snorted. "You're calling him a kid? He's at least five years older than you."

"No, he's not. I'm old, in war and pain. He's still wet behind the ears. I've killed more men than he'll see in all his life. Don't forget that." Duo didn't realize his mic was still open. "Well, back I go." Duo took the zip back up to the cockpit.

Heero sighed, he'd heard what Duo said to Dan so he knew everyone on that channel had heard too. He wasn't mad at Duo but he did wish Duo hadn't broadcast that. They were freakish enough as it was without frightening everyone with things like that. But done was done. He went back to re-educating his muscles. It was getting easier to control his machine by the second.

"01? 02 ... 01. Copy?"

Heero blinked. "01 ... 02. Sorry, zoned out a bit."

"01 ... 02. Lookin' good there. How about a little sparring?"

Heero thought for a moment. "01 ... 02. Sounds good."

Control ... 01,02 What the hell are you talking about? You can't fire weapons in the docking bay."

"02 ... Control. No weapons, just a little ... wrestling. But I want to see my weapons after."

Heero grinned to himself. "I want to see mine as well. Get them ready."

Then it was a real clash of the Titans. They charged each other like two bulls, colliding in the middle of the bay with a crash like two freight trains. They locked fingers and wrestled, pushing and shoving, twisting and trying to trip each other.

They continued in this fashion until one of the crewmen noticed that one of Heero's servos was smoking. He called Control over the crew channel and Control told them to stop. Heero backed off from Duo and headed for his rack. Duo followed to his and they both settled their gundams against the supports, the magnetic clamps closed over the limbs of the machines and they were racked.

Duo took time to run his shut down checks before he zipped down to see what had happened to Wing. He smiled at his mechanic, Jacob Grange, and said, "Great job. No breakdowns and smooth as silk. A few scratches on the fingers but otherwise, no damage. What's with Wing?"

"No idea. We're only trained on our own machine. You ask me about 'Scythe and I'll give you detail. Ask me about Wing? You get a shrug. But, by the smell, one of his servos shorted out."

Duo walked over to Wing, looking for Heero. He found him with his head in the knee joint of the left leg, leaning in beside him was his mechanic. The smell of burning insulation filled the air and made Duo's nose wrinkle.

"Is it bad?" Duo stayed out of arms reach of both men until they knew he was there. "You need any help? If you do, I'll send over my crew."

Heero laughed softly. "No, we don't need any help. In fact, I'm leaving _my_ crew to handle it themselves." He accepted a rag from Tommy to wipe the grease off his hands. "Thanks. We need to get in some serious shower time. Then I want to go over every inch of the blueprints of both gundams. There are some serious differences and we need to know what they are."

Duo rubbed his face, fluffing his bangs. "Yeah, we're really lucky we didn't crash and burn on that rescue. Be really embarrassing; rescuers needing rescuing."

Heero made a face. "Yes, it would. But, all in all, we did well. I want to be really ready as quickly as possible."

"Something?" Duo looked concerned, and a bit baffled.

"Maybe, maybe not. The back of my neck is crawling." Heero looked a bit shamefaced.

"That's not so good." Duo put his arm over Heero's shoulders. "Should we tell the captain?"

"And tell him what? The back of my neck is crawling? He'll just send me to the doc for cootie juice."

Duo sighed. "Probably right. We'll just have to keep an eye out and get everything up and running as quickly as we can. Nice to have crew, though, isn't it?"

Heero gave Duo a brilliant smile, one that made him look more his age. "It sure is. My handler gave me water, and made me drink it before he'd let me look at Wing's leg."

"Yes, and we're both waiting to help you out of those suits. We'd like to get them sanitized before lunch. So come on."

Duo blinked at Heero who managed not to look poleaxed. Duo scurried to his changing area, exclaiming, "Ok, Ok, don't have a spaz. I'm here." Heero laughed and went to let his handler get him out of his suit.


	10. Chapter 10

The next three days were busy. Wing needed repairs and Deathscythe needed breaking in.

Heero had to admit that he was a bit annoyed that Wing hadn't survived his first run without damage. His crew was equally unhappy. None of the engineers had accounted for Heero's enhanced strength, or agility. They were lucky that only one servo had burnt out. So, Duo had fun and Heero worked.

Heero's biggest problem was that Wing had to be completely re-engineered. Every joint had to be reinforced and all the hydraulics as well. Heero and his crew were actually building a whole new gundam. And they weren't happy about it. The few communications between the crew and the engineers were vitriolic to say the least.

The engineers insisted that they'd allowed for Heero's enhanced strength, the crew scoffed. The engineers asserted that there was more than enough leeway in the parameters, the crew swore at them. Heero just let all this swirl around him as he stoically plodded his way through blueprint after blueprint, making changes in his tiny, neat writing. Duo helped, when he wasn't working on Deathscythe.

"Heero, this is going to go up in smoke in about six seconds. They're still sending the old sensors."

Heero muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Shit for brains." and called Tommy, who was crew head as well as mechanic.

Duo growled softly but Heero patted him on the arm. "Stop that."

"Can't help it. Tommy's an ok guy. Why should he have to put up with this shit. All they have to do is send what we ask for. The shuttles are going to be out of range in ... two days. We need all the parts before then or we won't get them at all. If they don't quit messing around ..."

Heero just got up and stomped over to the main com screen. "Patch me in to Engineering Central. I want to speak to Dr. Evans. Now!"

The Com officer knew when to argue and when not to and this was definitely a not time. He made the connection in record time then cut his feed. He did not want to be in on this one, the rumor mill had been busy so he was fairly sure what was going to happen next. He did turn on a recorder.

Heero faced the vid screen and pinned Dr. Evans with his most ferocious glare. "I'd like to know why I'm not getting the parts I order. Who's changing my invoices?"

The Doctor didn't have the sense to be conciliating so he just stuck his foot right in it. "I am. You have no idea what you're doing. Those specifications are fine for a person of your size and age. Stop trying to ..."

Heero snorted. "To what? Make sure that I don't break my machine the second time I take him out? You change my invoice one more time and you'll be breathing vacuum. Got me?"

The man stuttered for a moment then squeaked, "You can't threaten me, I'm ... I'm.."

Heero interrupted him before he could get started properly. "I don't care who you are. I maintained my gundam, by myself, through two wars, I know what I need. You haven't taken into account my adaptations. I'm twice as strong as a man three times my size and in excellent shape besides. I can bend steel with my bare hands. I can't be worried about breakdowns in the middle of battle. Give me what I need and I'll have Wing combat ready in 48 hours. Hinder me more and I'll be out of commission until we get to Mina Hurr. What'll it be?"

Evans blinked. "Those statistics couldn't be right. That would mean... Oh, my God! That's ..."

Heero just nodded his head once. "Yes. I am 01. Send me my parts. Now."

"Fine, I'll send them. I just hope you really do know what you're doing. You'll kill yourself if you don't. You'll be pulling so many G's that you'll tear your body apart."

"I'll manage. You ought to get out of the lab more often. Good-bye." Heero broke the connection and the disconnect button. "Idiot. Duo!"

"Yeah, Heero?"

"I think I broke it." Heero eyed the button with a small frown.

"So?"

"Um ... shouldn't I fix it?" Heero's doubtful tone of voice made Duo snicker.

"Naw, let someone else do it. They'll have a real souvenir to show off. Come on. We need to get some down time. I've been working out with 'Scythe too much. Fun, but not good for the body."

Heero looked Duo over with some alarm. "Did you hurt yourself? What's wrong?"

"Calm down. I didn't hurt myself but I'm hungry again. Burning up too many calories, I guess. Come on, let's hit the mess."

Heero's stomach took that opportunity to announce that it was feeling neglected. Heero blushed faintly then laughed. "Ok, ok, I guess I'm hungry too. Officers?"

"You know it."

They headed for the mess, each thinking about his gundam.

.

Wufei opened the door to their quarters with a slap to the contact panel that cracked it across.

Milliardo sighed. "That's the third on this week. What now?"

"Those idiots seem to think that I can somehow make the laws of Physics mutable. They want to contact Heero and Duo and demand that they return at once."

Milliardo shrugged. "I'll go talk to them after lunch."

"Thank you. My grasp of Physics is good enough to pilot but not to explain it to a bunch of bureaucrats that don't want to understand." He tossed his briefcase into a corner and plopped inelegantly into a chair. "What's for lunch, I'm starved?"

"I brought an assortment of cheeses and some fruit home from the open market. I also found a decent bottle of wine."

"Good. I'm in the mood for some wine."

Milliardo smiled a bit grimly, put the fruit in a basket and the cheese on a cutting board. He brought both of them to the table, then returned to the kitchen for the wine, glasses and cork-screw.

Wufei smiled at Milliardo. "Did you get any crackers or bread?"

Milliardo shook his head. "No, I completely forgot that you like those whole meal crackers from the bakery down station." He smirked a bit and produced the crackers from behind his back. "Here. Share an apple with me?"

Wufei just picked up one and produced a knife from somewhere. Milliardo started cutting cheese with the cheese knife on the board.

When they were through with their preparations there was a neat arrangement of slivers of cheese, thin slices of apple and crackers on the cutting board. Milliardo poured the wine and they began to eat.

Wufei nibbled reflectively on a slice of apple then remarked, "I swear I'm going to smack Maxwell right in the chops when I see him. Can you believe their luck? And we're stuck here until the trials are over. All of them."

Milliardo heaved a heart felt sigh of disgust. "Yes. And they're really lucky that Mina Hurr is independent. Even ESUN can't make them come back if they don't want to."

"I'd like to sneak out and go there too. This is ridiculous and they all know it. Those people are guilty but they're going to drag this out for months just out of spite."

"I know. There has to be something we can do about this. It's outrageous."

Wufei rubbed his face in frustration. "You'd think. I feel like I'm being held prisoner. I don't want to be here. I don't want to testify in every trial. I've already given my statement and it's through. There isn't a question that they can think of that I haven't. If I could find a way out of the station, I'd go ... contempt of court be damned."

Milliardo managed to keep his jaw from dropping by a combination of royal genetics and training. Wufei thinking of defying a court order was mind boggling.

" 'Fei, mind your temper. And you've got court in three days. I just hope to hell the judge doesn't decide to be difficult about that, all the elders are already on the way here. I've managed to find an appropriate premises. The Kai Lin Dojo as agreed to host us."

Wufei sighed for what seemed the hundredth time. "That's very kind of them. I like their dojo, it's very traditional which will please the elders."

Milliardo made a face. "And that's the only thing that will please them. Have you written a speech."

"No, I'm just going to state my feelings, refuse to do their bidding, tell them to pick someone more appropriate and leave."

"No speech? Well, it's a bit unorthodox but I think it'll really get your point across."

Wufei's face took on an expression of sullen stubbornness more appropriate to Duo than The Chang of Chang. "I'm so stressed over this that I feel like ... like ... blowing something up. Really."

Milliardo bit his lip for a second. "Would you like to ... um ... we could..." He paused, trying to decide how to say what he wanted to.

Wufei understood his lover perfectly. "No, I thank you. I know you offer what you think I need, but I could never. I'm too angry. I'd hurt you more than you like. Perhaps, or perhaps not. I will not take that chance."

Milliardo smiled at Wufei. "Ok, then we should go to the dojo and work out. You haven't had a good workout in weeks. First Duo, then this idiocy. Come on, I've already packed our gym bags."

Wufei ate another slice of apple then stood. "Excellent. We can finish our meal, clean up after, and be fit to workout by the time we walk to the dojo."

They cleaned up the remains of their meal and started their walk.

.

"Trowa, I swear if one more of my sisters insists that I'm the only one capable of running WEI, I'll ... I'll."

Trowa flopped into a chair wearily wondering if he could just dump his PDA and run for it. "I know. You've got to settle on three deputies and that's that. If you don't, they'll spend the rest of their lives vying for your notice. Iria, Illana and Yasmine are my choices. They're smart, they compliment each other and they aren't interested in anything but the welfare of WEI and the family. "

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

Trowa nodded. "We need to pick your deputies and get to Mina Hurr soon. You'll never get them all to agree to anything. If you've got a majority vote, that's the best you're going to manage."

Quatre sighed. "You're right. I'll call for a vote of confidence in two days. Then I'll start training. Iria isn't going to be a problem, she took care of most of the business while I was fighting. Illana is a natural, Yasmine could be a problem." Trowa raised his visible eyebrow. "She isn't as self-confident as I'd like. That could push her into making inappropriate decisions."

Trowa thought for a moment. "Is that what's keeping us here? Could you make another choice?"

"I trust only about six of my sisters to handle the company competently and only because I'm still keeping my hand on the reins. Most of the married ones would allow their husbands to actually make the decisions, effectively taking WEI out of the hands of Winners. Father would ... roll in his grave is the expression."

Trowa gazed at Quatre for a moment. "It's going to leave Winner hands sooner or later, isn't it?"

Quatre gave Trowa a serene smile and shook his head. "Our children will carry on after us."

Trowa blinked once, then headed for the bar. Quatre stifled a giggle.

.

Duo gave the cook one of his brilliant smiles. It was steak day and they were just picking up their steaks. The cook smiled back indulgently.

"Glad to see that you know how to eat. Can't understand why anyone would ruin a good cut of meat by vulcanizing it." He turned his eyes to Heero. "How do you want yours?"

"Rare, just like Duo."

The cook gave Heero a funny look which Heero returned with one of puzzlement. Duo paused for a second, then started cackling like a demented hen. Heero just pushed him on down the serving line. He knew he'd done it again, double entendres totally defeated him, but he also knew that Duo would explain it when they got seated.

After the explanation, the conversation turned to parts and acquiring them.

Duo nibbled on a bit of salad, turning his fork from side to side. Heero watched, wondering what that reminded him of. He stared at Duo until he blinked and asked him what was up.

"I'm not ... watching you reminded me of something, but I can't get it to focus. Something ... parts ... fork ... salad?" He shook his head in frustration. "Damnit, it won't come."

Duo eyed his fork for a moment. "Well, parts, hydraulics, forks, salad, servos. They all relate to what you're trying to dig out ... but how? Hmmm."

Heero stabbed a green bean with his fork and started to lift it to his mouth. He wound up staring at the fork instead. "Fork lift! That's it!"

Duo looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Fork lift? What's that got to do with the price of eggs on L-2?"

Heero took a deep breath. "A Caterpillar series F-12 heavy duty fork lift has exactly the parts I need."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Even if they have them on this ship, I don't think they'd have enough pieces to do the trick."

"Probably not. But all we have to do is order them to be delivered to Mina Hurr A-sap. The last chaser shuttle can get them to us in two days. I can have them installed in 12 hours if both teams work on it."

Duo nodded. "Great. ... um ... Heero? Let's not encourage rivalry between our crews, ok?"

Heero looked down his nose at Duo. "Of course not. I don't want them getting into fights and stuff. Don't need the distraction. Neither of us do."

"That's what I thought. Finish your food and we'll sit down and figure out exactly what we need to order. I'll talk to the captain and see if they happen to have any servos and hoses on hand. We might just luck out. You never can tell."

"Great. Thanks. You know I have no skill at diplomacy."

"Me neither, but I'm a great shitter."

Heero just smirked at Duo. "I don't care how you get my parts, just get them, love."

" 'K. Hate it that you have to wait to play. Sucks."

"I'll survive. I'm just glad to have Wing back."

Duo grinned and stretched. Heero noticed that he moved smoothly and comfortably

"How's your back feel. Is your scar stretching?"

"Feels fantastic. The scar is fine. Come on, I want to talk to the captain."

"Ok."

They went up to the bridge and requested permission to enter.

The captain approved their request and invited them into his wardroom for their conversation.

He started out with. "Ok, guys, what rank are you two anyway?"

Heero blinked. "Excuse me?"

Captain Henderson poured coffee for them all. "I got a sawbuck riding on this. What's your rank?"

Duo just grinned at the man. "Depends on which service you're talking about. If you're talking about our rank in ESUN at retirement; it's colonel. If you're taking about the Mina Hurr security defense force; Field Marshal. We usually go by what ever rank does the job. I, personally, like Colonel, it's intimidating enough without being over the top. But I bet Q gets nasty about it sooner or later."

The captain made a face. "Well, that just cost me. Shit." He sipped at his coffee for a moment. "So, what can I do for you?"

Heero handed the captain a page he'd just printed out from his computer, using the printer in the wardroom. "I need this. I can't get the boffins to get off their collective asses and that means I can't fix my machine. Can you help me, Captain?"

The captain took the page, mumbling, "Call me Arthur." He read it over, shrugged and admitted that he had no idea if they had those parts or not. "Go see Gunny Smith. Mind like a steel trap, knows every part on the ship and whether or not we can get them here from there or not."

Duo thanked the captain, shook his hand and turned to go. He didn't miss Heero's soft, "Thank you, Arthur." He smiled to himself, Heero was getting much more social.

They got directions down to the Gunny's office and headed that way.

"Heero, what do you suppose the Gunny is like?"

Heero shrugged. "No idea. I just hope he can help."

"I'm sure he'll try." Duo checked his computer for directions again. He turned a corner with Heero on his heels.

Duo knocked on the door and opened it when he heard a rather hoarse, "Come the fuck in." he stuck his head in the door.

The woman behind the counter blew her nose and snarled, "What?"

Duo turned his head and told Heero to go down, or over, to the mess and get a mug of sweet tea. Heero just nodded once and headed off.

"Don't feel so good? Heero's off to get you some tea." Duo held up a hand to forestall any comment. "It's good for you. Are you Gunny Smith, or can you point him out?"

The woman sighed, pushed a lock of auburn hair out of reddened, puffy green eyes and nodded. "That's me. Whatcha need?"

Duo handed over the sheet of paper and grimaced sympathetically. "You really don't look well. Isn't there someone to take over for you?"

"Pffft! There isn't another idiot on this ship that can do the job. I'm off in about fifteen, unless this mess keeps me longer. Lemme see what's what."

Heero came back just then with the tea. "I put honey in it. I hope that's ok. Honey is better for colds than sugar. Here, drink some."

The Gunny took the tea mug and sipped as she read the parts list. "Ummmm. I've got about half the circuit boards you need. I can get all the rest shipboard in ... 36 hours, plus or minus one. Not that it's any of my business but what the hell are you going to do with this conglomeration of shit?"

Heero shrugged. "Fix my gundam."

"Oh, um, well, hell. I'll send out the order right now. And I'll put a rush on it. How's that?"

Duo grinned, swatted Heero between the shoulder blades and gave the Gunny a thumbs up.

"That'd be great. After you do that, you ought to go to bed. You look like hell warmed over. No offense."

Gunny Smith grinned. "None taken. I'd be in the infirmary except I don't have a second. He's in the brig. Asshole. I've got twenty more minutes in my shift then I'm closing up. That's just enough time to get your order in. Now scat."

They scatted and left the Gunny to her own devices.

Duo wandered along, tugging Heero's arm to slow him down. "We ought to do something for the Gunny. Seems a bit ... sad that she's got no help. Maybe we could talk to the captain?"

Heero thought about that for a moment. "Don't think so. The captain seems like a nice enough man, he'd intervene if he thought it was needed. The Gunny didn't seem too upset about her situation and she did say that she was going to quarters when her shift is over. Maybe we ought to stay out of it."

Duo nodded his agreement. "Ok, for now, at any rate. That was really nice of you to get her some tea."

Heero sighed. "I don't get sick, or not very badly. It must be really miserable. Not being able to breath, and her eyes were all red. Was she crying? She didn't seem like the type."

"Not crying. Sometimes when you're ill your eyes itch and burn, they get all red. I don't get sick much either, you know, but when I do it's usually a doozy."

Heero just grunted, he wanted to go back to the Gundam Bay but he knew that I(it) wouldn't do him any good. There were no parts and he couldn't do anything but sit and fume. Duo gave him a commiserating look and climbed into 'Scythe.

Heero sulked unashamedly, he wanted to try out Wing. He wanted to be in open space again. He wasn't going to get it, so what else was new.

"Boss! Hey, Yuy. We got some parts. The Gunny came through for us. She requisitioned a shipment of stuff that was going to L-2 17768. Isn't that great."

Heero couldn't help the whoop of joy he gave.

Duo stuck his head out of the hatch of 'Scythe and called down to find out what was going on. When Heero hollered up that he had parts, Duo slid down the zipline and hurried over.

"Wow, that's fantastic. I'll get my crew and we'll have them installed in no time."

Heero just nodded then said, "I'll have to take inventory when we're finished to see what else I still need. But I'm not going to change my requisition. One of us will need every one of those parts sooner or later."

Duo just nodded absently from where he was carefully unwrapping a circuit board. Heero grinned at his back and went to work himself.

It only took both crews and Heero and Duo six hours to do the work.

.

"Trowa? I have to go to the asteroid mine that is orbiting just off L-2 7771. They're getting ready to put it on line and I'm supposed to cut a ribbon, or press a button, or something. You coming with me?"

Trowa just smiled softly. "Of course I am. Why do you even ask?"

Quatre smiled back. "Because it's polite."

Trowa snorted. "Polite to ask your assistant if he wants to go to an important event? Quatre, what is it you're not telling me?"

"Not much. Only that there seems to be some trouble there. The scientists and the engineering staff don't agree with the miners about the safety of turning on the gravity grid without further testing. I'm going to open the mines, check on things and make sure that the science is valid. Satisfied?"

"Yes, and no. Satisfied with your explanation, but not with anything else."

Quatre sighed. "This is one reason that I want to just go build Mina Hurr. I'm tired of being thought of as 'the rich boss'. How many people at my level in administration actually know how to run a mining machine of any kind, much less a hand held laser miner?"

Trowa smiled, remembering Quatre learning how to run the heavy machine.

"Not any that I know of, except you. And that's the reason I want to get to Mina Hurr as soon as we can. You're going to kill yourself if you don't slow down."

Quatre rubbed his face. "I know. I want to, but I'm still spending too much time just holding things together."

"How will letting them fall apart effect building Mina Hurr?"

"It won't. Mina Hurr is coming out of my pocket."

Trowa looked a bit shocked. "Oh, I didn't realize."

"No one does. I don't want anyone to realize that I'm actually sole owner until it's too late. I don't need the uproar."

"I see." Trowa did see. He could see that Quatre was building a sanctuary for the six of them. A place where they could accomplish good things without interference from people who didn't understand, or care.

"Well, let's get going. Soonest started; soonest ended. Is the shuttle on standby, or do we have to wait?"

Trowa tapped something into his PDA/computer and glanced at the screen. "It'll be ready for take off by the time we get packed and to the launch bay. That do?"

"Perfectly." Quatre tugged on Trowa until he bent down for a quick kiss. He didn't resist much at all.

.

Milliardo eyed Wufei for a moment, noting the tension in his shoulders and the set of his hips. He looked like all he wanted was to kick the shit out of something. Milliardo sighed, squared his shoulders and went out to meet his doom. If he was lucky some idiot would make some remark about Wufei being too small to fight him and he'd be off the hook until Wufei had worked some of his ire off on someone else.

It turned out that he was really lucky.

He decided to just stand back and let the three big men get what they thought they wanted, a fight with the much vaunted and too small to deserve the reputation Chang Wufei. He winced in sympathy, then thought better of it. If these idiots wanted to fight with Wufei, they were going to get exactly what they deserved.

Wufei bowed to the men then asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The tallest man, a red-headed, heavy set type, nodded. "Yeah, we all decided that, if we got the chance, we'd challenge you to a match. No hard feelings on either side, no matter who wins. Ok?"

Wufei smiled in that serene and totally annoying way of his. "Certainly. I'm in a bad mood and need to blow off a little tension. I'm not trying to hurt any of you but you'll probably get at least a bruise or two, possibly even strain something. Ok with you?"

"Fine by us, as long as you realize that you might be on the receiving end."

Wufei just bowed and waited.

There were three of them, as Milliardo had noted before. Three men in the prime of their lives, large, well trained men, who were totally out of their depth.

Wufei waited for someone to do something and they all did the same. But Wufei was more patient than they were. The red-head broke first. He let fly with a low kick that should have taking (taken) Wufei off at the knees, but Wufei jumped over it and countered with a short jab that connected with his ribs, making him grunt in pain. He stepped back a bit then had to duck a round house swing from one of his companions. This man was short, stocky and had a military buzz cut that left him nearly bald. The last opponent was still hanging back to see what he could learn from the other two men's attacks. Wufei discounted him completely, for now.

Wufei backpedaled just enough to get room for his attack. He kicked the red-head in the chest and sent him stumbling. He followed through with a punch to the abdomen for his other opponent. The whoof of air rushing out of his lungs told it's story. He collapsed on the mats, gasping to get air back into his lungs. Wufei stepped back to draw the rest of the fight away from him so he wouldn't be stepped on. This put him in range of the third man who took advantage of it to try a low, round house kick about ankle high. It didn't help him any as Wufei just absorbed the blow like it was nothing, letting the man's kick ride up his leg, and punched him in the head. Milliardo winced, Wufei was going to have bruised knuckles over that one.

The last attack came as a combination from the third man and the red-head, who'd managed to get his feet back under him. Wufei let the red-head's punch sail over his head, allowing it to distract the second fighter, who took the punch in the shoulder. Both men staggered one from the unexpected shift in leverage and the other from the blow. Wufei chopped the red-head on the back of the next hard enough to sting, then kicked the other man in the stomach.

The whole fight was over in less than a ninety seconds.

Milliardo stepped in, just in case someone decided that they were unhappy and did something even more stupid than challenging Wufei. No one offered to do more than sit on the mats and pant.

"That went well. Let me see your hand."

Wufei snorted. "Later. I'm going to kick you ass too. That wasn't challenge enough to make me break a sweat." He turned to his erstwhile opponents. "Sorry, gentlemen, no insult intended, but you're good, very good. Just not good enough. Please feel free to stay and watch."

Milliardo sighed, that had been just enough to take the edge off, but not enough to save him from a hard workout. Wufei wouldn't do him any harm but they both adhered to the saying, 'Better a bruise from a friend than a cut from an enemy.' He put up his guard and prepared to defend himself.

Their fight made the first one look like patty-cake. They kicked, punched, ducked and backpedaled all over the mats. Wufei was a blur of attack, punch, dodge and weave. Milliardo took advantage of his longer legs and arms to try to back Wufei into a corner of the mats, stepping off was an immediate loss. Wufei took advantage of his smaller size to dodge most of the high kicks and punches, he absorbed the body blows as best he could. Milliardo took kicks to the chest and thighs with bland stoicism.

The three men just watched, mouths gapping. The rest of the observers sighed, ooo'ed and ah'ed with amazed expressions. Milliardo finally lost to a sweeping spin kick and a shot chop to the Adam's apple. He sighed and stayed on his back for a moment, until Wufei offered him a hand up.

"Great. Water?" Wufei offered a compliment and a bottle of water.

"Thanks. Not so bad yourself." Milliardo took the water and settled on a bench. Someone came over and offered towels and a, "Great fight, hate to see you two serious."

Wufei thanked the man and handed off one of the towels to Milliardo. They sat for a while, wiping off sweat and drinking their water.

Milliardo finally got up and headed for the showers with Wufei at his side.

.

The chief com officer glanced over the sensor officer's shoulder. They were both bored to pieces, nothing had happened on this leg in forever. But there was something on the sensor display.

"Hey! What's that?"

The sensor officer glanced at his display, "What's what?"

"That! ... um ... it's gone. Don't know what it was. Looked like some sort of disturbance."

"Like a giant barge complex, maybe?"

Barge complex's were huge things, made of dozens or even hundreds of containers attached to each other in bunches called a barge. They were usually organized by point of delivery or origin depending on the captain's mind set. They showed up on sensors as ghosts or giant blobs. They were supposed to have a beacon on them, but some captains never managed to get the idea so they weren't all marked properly

"Maybe. I don't know. Keep an eye out, I got a funny feeling about it."

The sensor officer shrugged. "Ok, girlie-man, I'll keep an eye out for your monster."

The com officer turned his back again, offended that his so-called friend chose to make fun of his concern.

.

Heero wiped the last of the graphite grease off his hands and sighed. "Well, that's as much as we can do until the rest of the parts get here." He turned to look for Duo, who was somewhere in the left leg of Wing, putting in the heavier servo for the knee. "Duo! You done yet!"

He heard an indistinct mumble from somewhere in the calf area. He wandered over, carrying some water and a couple of sandwiches in one hand. He knocked on the calf plate with the other hand and called, "Duo, food. Come out."

Duo stuck his head out of the access plate and groaned. "Food, food. I'm famished. This is just as hard as I remember it being." He eeled out of the hole and accepted Heero's hand and shoulder as help to get his feet on the deck. "Man, thanks. That's still a bit too tight for comfort. Gimmie." He held out a hand for a sandwich and wound up with a handful of cleaner impregnated paper towel instead.

Duo wiped his hands and then took his sandwich. Heero peeled the covering off his own food and sat down beside Duo to eat.

"This is good." Duo took another bite and sighed. He swallowed and then said, "You remember that time that all we had for like a week was rice balls? What did you call them?"

"Onigiri. They usually have sprinkles on them, or even a filling of some kind. All I had was the nori wrappers."

"Well, I've never looked at rice quite the same since." Duo ate in silence for a few moments then asked, "And how's your spider sense doing?"

Heero gave Duo a very blank look. "Um ... what do spiders have to do with anything?"

"Spiderman? Spidey sense?" Heero just gave him a long suffering look and shrugged. "Never mind. You said that your neck was crawling?"

"Oh ... I don't know. I just have a feeling that we need to get Wing on line as quickly as we can."

Duo finished the last of the water, gathered up the papers and other refuse and handed it to Ray. "Thanks, Ray. How's that short circuit?"

"Got it in one. Just a bad solder on the board. Didn't take me but a second to fix it. The board checks out fine now. I'll install it in a couple of minutes and we'll be ready for a dry run of all the systems that have new components in them. Then we can test the communication between the computer and the servos. How many more parts do we really need?"

Heero did a quick mental inventory and said, "We need six servos, about 120 feet of heavy duty hydraulic hose and ... memory. I'm not sure how much. I need to run some tests but I can't do that until you do your checks."

Ray heaved himself up onto a platform that extended out toward Wing's side. "I'm on that as soon as I do this. Two hours, or so." He turned to a control panel and forgot all about his boss.

Heero just grinned at Duo who gave him a thumbs up and crawled back into Wing's leg. Heero went back to replacing servos himself.

.

Wufei sighed and stretched his back from one side to the other. "Mmmmm, feels good to just stretch. I have to do more tai chi, I'm getting lazy."

Milliardo stretched too. "So am I. We could get up about forty-five minutes earlier and get a workout in then. There's just room enough if we shove the furniture to one wall."

"Fine. I'll set the clock."

They left the Dojo and headed back for home, well aware that they both had to be ready for Court in the morning. Wufei had arranged for the dojo to be available all the next day.

This had angered the elders, they'd thought they would have more time to work on Wufei but he'd pushed the arrangements through so that he wouldn't have to put up with them any more than he had to.

.

Milliardo checked his robes for the third time. He was wearing three layered formal robes and he was very uncomfortable. He glanced in the mirror. His under robe was dark royal blue, heavy brocaded silk and very stiff. The next layer was a mid-blue, also silk, but lighter in weight just as it was in color. The top layer was a thin nearly transparent silk and ice blue.

The bottom layer was ankle length, the middle layer was shorter by nine inches but the top layer touched the floor. He had braided his hair and put on the soft slippers before putting on anything else as the sleeves covered his hands, each layer just bit shorter than the one under it. But the top sleeve was draped in such a way that the middle was waist length. He sighed, thanked his dresser, and went in search of Wufei.

Wufei was in his own dressing room, converted from the men's locker room. Milliardo's had been the lady's room.

" 'Fei? Are you about ready?" this question was greeted with a string of curses that made the dresser blush scarlet.

"No, I'm not about ready. I'm wearing 'Scarlet Robes' and I'm about three layers away from being dressed. Aye-ya! There's a total of seven layers and I already feel like I'm being smothered."

Milliardo frankly stared at Wufei. He was standing in the middle of a mess of tissue paper, arms stretched to the sides while the dresser tossed a wad of fabric over his head.

The fabric turned out to be a robe. Wufei had on so many robes that the only way he could don another was by having it tossed over his head and pulled down over the last layer.

The robes were all brocade or some other silk, each layer lighter and shorter than the last. The first or lowest one was dark red and touched Wufei's black velvet slippers. The next was also red, with a piping of black on the hem. The third layer was red as well but had a narrow black band at the hem. The fourth layer was black with dragons embroidered on the hems in red silk threads. The layer that he had just donned was black with gold phoenixes. The sixth robe was a black tissue silk with a huge gold dragon embroidered on the back and the last was gold tissue with the Chang family crest on the breast. All the sleeves were bell shaped so that each robe could be seen when Wufei moved his arms.

Wufei stood patiently until the last robe was on. The dresser topped this all off with a small cap of black velvet with a button of coral, which he set reverently on Wufei's head. Wufei sighed heavily and said, "Shall we go and get this idiocy over with?"

Milliardo frankly wondered if Wufei could walk in all that enveloping fabric. Wufei proved that not only could he walk but quite rapidly as well. He moved so smoothly that he seemed to glide rather than walk. Milliardo hurried to keep up.

When they reached the door of the throne room, the attendant announced them in a ringing voice. Milliardo was impressed that, not only did he remember all Milliardo's names, he remembered his titles and military rank as well. There was no doubt that he would get all Chang Wufei's titles correct.

They entered the throne room side by side. Wufei led the way between ranks of kow-towing men. He settled himself on his throne with Milliardo beside him. He waited until all the men were kneeling in seiza, looking at him. He stood up, took off his cap, handed it to the seneschal and announced in a voice that carried to the back of the room, "I abdicate." There were some shocked gasps, which were quickly silenced.

Wufei glared around the room for a moment, then just headed back down the aisle. Milliardo shook of his shock and followed quickly. They were soon back in the dressing room.

"That's it? That's all?"

Wufei gave one jerky nod. "Yup, that's it. Help me."

Milliardo sat down on a small stool to allow the dresser to pull off his top two robes. Then he started stripping Wufei out of his, using his greater height to facilitate the process.

It didn't take him long to strip him down to the bottom robe.

"There. Where's your street clothing?"

Wufei turned from giving orders for the storage of their robes, "Not sure. The dresser will bring them in a moment. Get out of that thing so he can put it away." He pulled his own bottom robe off and handed it over. Milliardo did the same and thankfully pulled the offered t-shirt over his head.

It didn't take them long to get into BDU's and boots. Milliardo wondered if this was some kind of statement but didn't object. He was comfortable, hungry and it was only 9am.

Wufei nodded to the dresser and led the way out the back and into an alley. They slipped down the alleyway and onto the main corridor.

"I'm starved. You?"

Wufei nodded. "Too nervous to eat, I noticed that you didn't even try either."

"I never eat before a confrontation. You're sure you're not going to have problems with the Elders?"

"I'm sure. None of them would argue with a formal abdication. That's why we both wore formal robes."

"Made me feel like I was going to trip any second."

"And you only had three layers."

Milliardo sighed. "You had seven. How the hell do you manage to move so gracefully in yards of stiff silk?"

"Training. Lots and lots of training. Now, feed me breakfast before I faint on you."

They headed for the nearby restaurant for something to eat.

.

"Damn, there's that blip again." The sensor officer glanced at his companion. "Where?"

A finger jabbed at the screen. "There. Open your eyes and stop mooning over that bitch."

"Ok, ok. I see it ... and it's gone again. What the hell could it be?"

"No idea but I don't like it. I'm writing up a report for the captain."

"You do that. I'll second it. I'm not sure what it is, but I really don't like it."

.

Heero knocked on the door of the requisition office. "Gunny Smith? You here?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Feeling a lot better too. That tea really hit the spot."

"My parts here yet?" Heero didn't bother to suppress the anxious look that passed across his face.

"Sure are. Just in on the last shuttle before we're out of range of L-2. We won't be in range of L-5 for ... um ... can't do the conversions in my head."

Heero grinned. "Duo could but it really doesn't make any difference. It's going to be several weeks, right?"

"Yeah. I ordered a bunch of stuff. That companion of yours is mental about extras."

Heero leaned on the counter, sure that the Gunny wanted to gossip. Duo had told him that he should just give up and do it, it was a sure way to gain favor with someone like this woman. "Duo remembers when we had so few new parts that I scavenged his machine to fix mine. Really pissed him off."

"So, you're really a gundam pilot?" She leaned on the other side of the counter ready to enjoy a good jaw with this kid. "You were all of ... what? Ten?"

"Fifteen. I'm only nineteen now. I think."

They spent the next hour trading war stories. It turned out that she'd been supply officer for one of Howard's Sweeper ships until the end of the war, then she'd gotten this job.

Duo came looking for him to go to dinner so he excused himself and shook hands with her before leaving.

"She's something else. I like her. She got us a shit load of parts."

Duo grinned. "I know, I've been checking them in for the last hour."

Heero grumbled, "You should have come to get me. I'd have helped."

"Why? It's good to see that you're finally learning to slack off. It's good for you. Come on, I'll spot you ... dinner?"

"Dinner," Heero agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 11 /?

Word count: 7562

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Authors note: Not much of a real plot so much as just incidents in building a colony and how the boys handle them.

.

Quatre leaned against Trowa and got comfortable. They were going to another part of the colonial cluster where the asteroid was parked. It had been towed in from the belt and it's orbit stabilized to hold it here. It was being set up as a mining asteroid as it was heavy in iron, copper and other metals. They were all ore but very pure.

He had studied all the data on the asteroid, it's stability, and it's size and weight, estimated by scientists from probes. He wasn't comfortable with the conclusions they had reached but he couldn't put it into words.

Trowa settled more comfortably and snuggled Quatre under his arm. "Go to sleep. You've been fussing about that for over a week. Let's just go, do, make your sisters happy and get back home. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can finish this foolishness and get to Mina Hurr."

Quatre grumbled, "If one more thing goes wrong, I swear I'm going to leave them all to pick WEI clean. I don't need all that money, I've got plenty. Damn it, my personal fortune is big enough to build a colony, for Christ's sake."

"True, true, but you're more worried about the little guy, admit it."

Quatre sighed. "You're right. If I don't keep things under control, people will start to lose their jobs. That's not right."

"How long before things get to that state, if you leave the girls to battle it out."

"Six to ten years, maybe a bit longer."

Trowa swore. "Fuck it, you silly lack wit. Let them stew themselves into a mess. You can pull the company back before things get that bad. You really think they'll let the company go to ruin for prides sake?"

Quatre snuggled a little closer, sliding down Trowa's side until he was more or less laying on him. "No, probably not. I ... do you think they really don't realize that they'll run the company into the ground if they spend all their time in power struggles. Why the hell did father want so many damn daughters anyway?"

"No idea. I don't think they're thinking about that right now. They all want to be the power behind the throne, so to say, and they're only thinking about that."

"Ummm. I think you're right. And you're right about letting them get themselves into a mess, as long as it doesn't hurt the employees."

"Won't. The second they realize that there are layoffs in the offing, they'll back off. They'll be begging you to take over again."

"Or not. Maybe they'll run the company better if I'm not looking over their shoulders."

"Chance of that too. Go to sleep."

Quatre just gave a soft snore in reply. Trowa laughed softly and settled down to get some sleep himself.

.

The shuttle docked, Quatre woke and they disembarked into the huge hanger. Trowa looked around, keeping in front of Quatre. Something was off, something that both Quatre and he could feel. Neither one of them could put a finger on what it was though.

Quatre eased up beside Trowa, fighting the urge to put himself between his lover and ... something.

They performed a complicated little dance on the stairs, each trying to cover the other. Finally Quatre laughed and let Trowa get in front of him. "Fine, have it your way."

Trowa sighed and started down the stairs. His greater height allowed him to cover Quatre fairly well.

They were met at the bottom of the stairs by an officious man with a truly awful comb-over. He bowed then told Quatre, speaking right through Trowa, that he was to show Quatre the way to his quarters. "And you, my good fellow, get the bags."

Trowa just ignored him, stepping around him like he was a solid obstacle.

Quatre followed, a stream of orders flowing from his lips. "I want the computations directly from the man who compiled them. I want to see where the ceremony is to take place. Lunch time, or dinner? Never mind, I'm hungry, find a good restaurant and make a reservation. If there aren't any yet, find a cafeteria. Have someone unload the baggage and take it to quarters. I need a secretary who can transcribe my note recordings without asking me what I said every three minutes. Trowa, I need to see all the specifications and data myself. I'll send it all to Duo if I have to. I don't like something about this and I intend to find out what. Let's go."

Trowa just pulled out a phone and started dialing. He got the central switchboard and made all the arrangements Quatre wanted, except for the food. There was to be a dinner after the ribbon cutting, which was in exactly ten minutes. Quatre snarled as he realized that he'd been out flanked, most likely by one of his sisters. There wasn't time to do all the reviews he wanted before the cutting. He hissed his irritation then announced, "Anything goes wrong, I mean, so much as running out of napkins and all my loving sisters are on their fucking own. I don't care. Trowa, we'll have to change in a ... I don't know where. I'm not going to a ceremony wrinkled. Fix it."

Trowa glared at the official. "Your name?"

"Owen Fielding." He glowered. "And yours?"

"Trowa Barton. Gundam pilot, and aide and lover to Quatre. We need a place to change."

"Ah, that's a small problem. I didn't realize that you were so very small. Mr. Barton is better but still ... we're all wearing miners clothing. To signify solidarity with the real workers here. Very ..." He waived a hand in a vague gesture.

Quatre snickered softly, if this ass thought that either he or Trowa would feel out of place in miner's coveralls and a hard hat, he had another think coming.

"That's fine. Just get me the smallest size there is. I'm sure I can make do. Trowa is bigger than he looks. Trowa? Medium or large?"

Trowa smirked at Fielding. "I take a medium-tall. Quatre takes a small-regular. He'll have to roll up the legs, but that's ok."

Fielding didn't seem to know that he was being patronized, he was too busy trying to lord it over the 'kids'. The kids managed to keep from shooting him by a hair.

It didn't take them long to reach the large open auditorium where the cutting ceremony was to take place. Quatre nodded to the man who met them. He was carrying an armful of coveralls and two hard hats with 'Winner' and 'Barton' stenciled on them.

"Here you go. I have one of every size. You're different enough that I didn't think you'd take the same one. And your toppers are stenciled. I've got to head back to finish some arrangements. We've even got one of the new mining machines out, to add to the ambiance, or something." He smiled a bit. "I'm just a grunt that got shanghaied into this somehow. I better get gone before that pussy organizer that Liala brought in has another fit. You need anything, yell."

Quatre accepted the pile of clothing the man shoved at him and handed off the three larger sizes to Trowa. Trowa just held the one marked L-T up to his chest to check the fit. "Looks ok to me. You?"

Quatre was doing the same thing with a small. "Looks ok to me. Let's find a place to change."

They finally just stripped down right in the middle of the room. There was no place else to do it.

No one paid any attention to them as they pulled off their jackets, shirts and trousers. It didn't take but a second or two to step into the coveralls and zip them up. Trowa plopped his hard hat on his head and handed Quatre his.

"Why do I get the uncomfortable feeling that we're going to need these?"

Quatre shrugged. "No idea." He pointed to a door where a crowd of people were entering. "And here we go."

"Great. I just wish this was all over with."

"Me to. Smile like you mean it."

Trowa gave him a swat on the back of his hard hat and glowered at the sister who was in charge of this mess.

She gave him back one of those insincere sugary smiles that made his teeth hurt. Trowa knew that half Quatre's sisters didn't like him and the other half were indifferent. Most of them tried to stay on his good side, Liala was not one of those. She didn't like him and left him with no doubts about it. Trowa respected her for that but hated her for the way she acted around him, sneering at him only set Quatre's back up and that stupid smile just looked weird.

Trowa waited for Quatre to give some indication what he wanted to do. It didn't take long.

"I want to see all the science on this. I want to make sure that turning on the gravity plates won't cause ... I'm not sure what."

Liala curled her lip. "We have gravity here ... in case you hadn't noticed. What difference will it make when we turn on the master plates?"

Quatre shook his head. "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out. The small plates that create the gravity for this installation can't put out a field large enough to cause problems. But when you put the whole asteroid under that kind of stress, who knows what will happen?"

One of the bureaucrats in charge of something or other snapped. "Look, just leave the science to the scientists and be a good boy."

Quatre just eyed the man for a moment. "I don't like your attitude, my science is just as good as theirs; if not better. I want to send all the data to Heero and Duo for analysis before we do anything."

This started an argument that lasted until Quatre just snarled, "Enough! I am the president of the corporation and I will be obeyed in this. Nothing is to be done until the science is verified. By experts of my choice. Do you understand?"

Liala sighed and nodded. "Very well, how long will that take? The reporters are going to have a field day."

Trowa just shook his head. "All we have to do is tell the truth. Quatre has some concerns about the safety of the operation and wants the data analyzed by outside sources. Second opinion and all that sort of stuff."

Liala grumbled but finally, grudgingly agreed. None of them noticed Fielding and their new acquaintance easing off to the side.

The result of this second of carelessness was instant and dramatic. Fielding nodded to his friend then announced, "Without further ado, we activate the new gravity plates as a preliminary to the cutting of the ribbon opening the new facility. Now!" He made a dramatic gesture and this friend pulled the lever. And was instantly crushed as the whole wall collapsed on him.

Quatre grabbed Trowa, who grabbed him back. The wall was suddenly the floor and the erstwhile floor was a crumbling wall. Except that only happened in half the room, the other half twisted until the ceiling was a wall not opposite the floor.

Trowa and Quatre sorted themselves out and stood up. The gravity was strong and steady, just not coming from the area they thought it would.

"Well, fuck. This is just great. Really, really fucking wonderful. Trowa, tell all those cock-suckers they're fired, and black balled; as well as, their wages are garnisheed for the foreseeable future. If we survive this."

Trowa just grunted. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed. He got an answer at once, spoke for a moment, then hung up.

"Ok. The plates shifted the second they were turned on. Seems there was a fracture point that no one thought was important. Quat, we're in real trouble."

"Yeah? And what, in this cluster fuck, isn't trouble?"

Trowa sighed, then smiled slightly. "Well, we're not holed, no atmosphere leaks. But they can't turn off the plates for fear of making the asteroid shift again, and they can't dig us out without turning off the plates. Unless they can access the only working mining machine on the asteroid."

"I see, and where is the machine?"

Trowa smirked at Quatre. "Here."

Quatre started to laugh. "Well, shit."

"Yeah, they rushed assembly for the cutting ceremony, thought it'd look ... photogenic, I guess. The rest are still in their cases. In a facility that's cut off from the rest of the facility by 30 feet of solid rock. Not that that would do much good, it takes four days to put one together."

Quatre looked around the room. It was large, huge in fact, but there had to be at least sixty people in it. Most of them were reporters and their support crews, soundmen, cameramen, and so on. The rest were businessmen and women with some catering crew thrown in for good measure. He saw two men standing by the mining machine but they looked like the obligatory maintenance crew, more for show than anything else.

"Call central back, tell them I want all the data available sent to Duo. Tell them not to touch the gravity grid, not to do a damn thing without my personal ok, and tell them that I want a compliment of Preventers available to make arrests for criminal negligence."

Trowa just nodded and made his call. "Data's on its way. The contact says that the info should be coming in within the hour. They're working on some way to get us some gas without creating problems. Like the way that man talks, sounds like he's got some sense."

"Ok, we'll hunker down and wait. I'm not making any announcements to this crew of idiots ... other than that we're working on it. You want to do the PR or what?"

Trowa looked around, everyone was surprisingly calm, he decided because they didn't have the faintest idea how deep the shit was ... yet.

Quatre paced, biting his lip and ignoring his sister and her aide, who seemed determined to drive him mad. Finally, he turned, tripped over the aide for the third time and just announced. "Ok. You want to be helpful? Here's what you do. Make an announcement that explains exactly what happened, who's to blame; and that it's not me, and find someone capable of organizing this mess into some sort of coherent whole. Got me?"

"Um ... yes, sir. I do, sir. I'll get right on it." The aide scurried away, head ducked.

"Liala, this is the absolute last fucking straw. Piss on you, the camel you rode in on and all your stupidity. If you and the rest of my sisters are so damn determined to ignore my concerns, fine. Take care of the whole mess yourselves. Come to me when it comes to the point of laying off people and not until. I've got things to do that no longer include Allah cursed babysitting. You're all so involved in stooping to a damn pissing contest that you're all ... never mind. Just get out of my way, my sight and my hair. Do not open your mouth, just breath. I've got to sort this mess out and I don't have time or inclination to mollycoddle anyone."

Trowa silently cheered Quatre on.

After the aide managed to get everyone's attention, make his announcement and quiet the resultant uproar, Quatre demanded the microphone.

"Ok. Everyone ... shut up! ..." Quatre waited until his battlefield bellow got everyone paying attention to him. "Thank you. Here's the skinny." He proceeded to tell the unvarnished truth and wait out the new upwelling of comment, screaming and demands that someone do something.

""Someone ... me, is going to do something. Anyone here have military rank, I don't care if it was Oz or Alliance. You'll be working under my orders and I expect you to put aside old grievances for the sake of survival. Now ... hands up." Several hands raised. "Thank you. Any of you machinists, or Master Sergeants? Anyone have experience in battlefield command?" Some hands stayed up. "Ok, you, you, and you. Take inventory of all supplies. You, what was your rank and what did you do?"

The man admitted to being an administrator for some field marshal or other. Quatre set him to organizing the whole group into platoons and setting someone to command them. He also told him to arrest, bind and confine anyone who argued with him.

"Yes, sir. Excuse me, my name is Michael Farnsworth. Are you declaring martial law? Just need to know, since you're the owner of this fucked up mess."

"Martial law it is. And ... there's the jail." Quatre pointed to one corner of the room. "Just stuff all the dissidents there, set a guard on them and get this mess organized. We're going to be tunneling out and we'll need most of the able bodied men to move beams and position them to keep the tunnel from collapsing. We'll have to keep the whole group close together, in the tunnel but out of the way of the machine. I also want you to make sure that everyone has appropriate footwear and clothing. Make do with tablecloths and so on. Got me?"

"Yes, sir." Farnsworth actually saluted. Quatre returned the salute and promptly forgot the man. He was capable, he'd do his job. Now Quatre had to find out if he could actually pull this off.

"Ok, Trowa, let's go see if we're lucky."

It turned out that they were. The machine was one that Quatre knew how to use, in fact, it was the newest laser miner; unfortunately, it was a small one that only cut an eight foot face. Or fortunately.

And, luckily, the two men with the machine were actually tenders. Quatre had them turn on the miner.

This machine was a tunnel miner. It was a machine that actually had legs and feet, robotic walkers that allowed it to walk forward and back, but it was still heavy and required a strong operator and two tenders. The tenders were the men responsible for keeping the water reservoirs full and the lines untangled and out from under foot. Quatre realized that they were extremely lucky that this machine could mine in any direction, horizontal or vertical or any degree between.

Quatre wished for a jumbo degas drill but knew that one wasn't practical on a mining asteroid. They were too big, ran on diesel and vibrated too much. That was why the company had decided to use only the small, man controlled drills known as walkers.

"Excuse me, sir. I think I've found something that might turn out useful. If you would come this way?"

Quatre blinked at the man for a moment. "Do I know you?"

"Oh, no sir. I'm Francis, Mr. Dominic's personal aide." He noticed Quatre's frown of confusion. "Don't worry, you don't know him either. Mr. Farnsworth requested my assistance. I'm taking inventory of every piece of equipment available with an eye to finding things useful to the ... er ... dig."

"I see. Well, show me what you've found and explain how you think it might be useful."

Francis showed Quatre to the side room filled with metal plates and jacks. "There are enough plates to make forty linear feet of wall six feet tall. And those jacks are strong enough to hold up a ton each. I'm not sure what to make of it, but it seemed like something you should know about at once. I'm sorry if I was out of line."

Francis stood waiting for Quatre's judgment.

"This is a real find. I was worried about how to stabilize the walls of our tunnel, parts of it are sure to be rubble, unstable. This will do the trick. Great. Now all I need is the proper location to start mining and the direction."

"I think you're out of luck on that. I have no idea." Francis smiled slightly.

Quatre smiled back. "I didn't expect you to, but I have some people working on that right now. We'll get that info soon, I'm sure."

.

Duo sighed and stretched, the gundams were on line, and he and Heero were just resting, waiting for the transport to get them to Mina Hurr.

"Duo! Data coming in from Quatre."

"Data? What's up?"

Heero shrugged eloquently. "Don't know, but it's bad. Quatre's swearing."

Duo paled, "Oh, shit."

Heero just nodded, jiggled the mouse on Duo's computer and started the download. "I'll have all the stats up in a second. Coffee?"

"I'll get it. Collate all the data on standard parameters. Overlay, if there's any map, standard 3-D grid. I assume that there's a shit storm on the asteroid?"

"Yeah, but that's all I can tell you now."

"Back in a flash with the cash." Duo left to get coffee and Heero started his analysis.

It took them two hours to collate and analyze the data. Then Duo sent Quatre his final analysis and crossed his fingers.

.

Quatre looked at the data and thanked his – who ever was listening – that all he had to drill through was 600 feet of rock, ore and rubble. He did some calculations in his head. The tank on the drill was going to be insufficient to the task of cooling 600 feet of hot rock enough that he wasn't going to be baked as he moved behind the drill.

"We need more water. The tank holds about 50,000 gal. That's just enough for about ... at 1500 gal a foot ... 33 feet and some inches." At Trowa's shocked look, he sighed. "That laser heats the rock to melting point, cutting out a plug then shattering it into gravel. Then it has to be cooled enough to handle and walk on. That's a lot of water. So 600 times 1500 ... and we're screwed. We need 900,000 gal ... maybe more."

"Well, shit."

"Right."

"I'll find Francis and see what he says. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Francis was also of the opinion that they were in real trouble. That much water was enough to fill an Olympic diving pool, more than once. "And what about all the steam?"

Quatre thought for a moment. "Well, there's a capture system that sucks it away but condensing it ... that's the problem. And the machine won't use waste water. It'll clog the jets. Usually the miners just let the steam condense and run away. On an asteroid, it's piped into recovery tanks, filtered and reused. We don't have any of that equipment available. This was only for show, so all the auxiliary machines are ... elsewhere."

Francis thought about that. "If you cut a drain down the middle of the tunnel, that should bring the water out of it. At least it won't be standing in the tunnel."

Quatre thought about it too. "Could be, but if the gravity is as fucked up as I think it's going to be, the water won't drain away." He thought some more. "It could pool in low ... or no grav areas but I don't want to rely on that. Someone could drown." Francis didn't understand the Arabic, except for the word 'camel'. He wasn't sure he wanted to.

Trowa ran his hands through his hair and sighed, this was bad, very bad. He just hoped that someone didn't make it worse. He should have kept his thoughts to himself.

"Here! You!" The assistant manager of the complex marched toward Trowa with a furious expression on his face. "What the hell happened? I demand explanations ... now!"

"Bite me." Trowa walked away. The man trailed him sputtering threats and questions.

Quatre told the man to shut up, also that he didn't care what his position was. "I need information. If you don't have that, go away. In fact, you're fired, as the assistant manager you should have managed better. Kept a better hand on your people. This entire situation is the result of arrogance and stupidity." He turned to Francis, who had followed Trowa, ignoring the manager. "Water. 900,000 gal. Yes or no."

Francis sighed. "No."

Quatre rubbed his face. "Fuck. Without water, I can't cut. We're going to run out of air before they can assemble another machine and cut through to us. Francis, find me water."

Francis started to say something but he was interrupted by a fussy looking man in a bad toupee.

"Excuse me. I heard you were wanting water. There's plenty, and we can get to it from over there." He pointed to a spigot in the wall. "This is where the employees swimming pool is going to be. We've been making water for it for several weeks. There's a million gallons, more or less."

Quatre nearly hugged the man. "Thank Allah. And, is there, by any chance, some way to reverse the process and split the water back into hydrogen and oxygen?"

"Yes ... it'll take a bit of doing, but I'll set the crew to work ... when I can find them. Excuse me." He scurried off to make his arrangements.

"Trowa, I need a crew. The two men are going to be worn out quickly. You'll do for one. Someone with some muscle for the other. Come on."

Quatre talked to the crew for a moment, then turned to fire up the drill. He'd changed the orders when he'd seen the data on the tunnel. It was going to be mostly hard rock with very little rubble. The plates and jacks they had would be more than enough to hold it in place. So, instead of having everyone follow the drill closely, he'd decided to hold them all back until the tunnel was complete. One worry off his mind.

He checked the readout, positioned the machine by walking it to the proper point and started drilling. He instantly thanked his lucky stars that he had changed into miners coveralls, this was going to be hard, dirty, wet and miserable. He clenched his teeth and concentrated on his work.

While Quatre drilled, his sister was working with Mr. Farnsworth to organize and control the people. Since they were all most all reporters this wasn't as hard as you might think. They were all used to staying where they were told. The usual reason being that they didn't want to be thrown out of wherever they were, but it worked well. They were kept informed, completely, at Quatre's order. Some of them even still had contact with outside broadcast systems. Liala ordered that no one was to interfere with their connections.

The businessmen and women took their model from the reporters and were, mostly, cooperative. A few tried to argue for or against something or other and found themselves bound with torn up tablecloths and under standing guard by several members of the reporting teams who turned out to have military training. They were more than happy to oblige. Trowa was kept apprised of the situation and just nodded his appreciation, remarked that he was turning all duties over to Mr. Farnsworth and returned to what he was doing

Quatre knew that he was going to have to call on all his pilot training to do this. The machine vibrated so hard that it rattled his teeth. Most operators only ran the machine for half a shift, four hours. The machine could drill at about sixty feet an hour, that meant he had ten hours of work ahead of him. He groaned to himself, this was not going to be pleasant.

Trowa kept pace with Quatre, glad of the heavy boots he wore, the floor was hot, no matter what Quatre said. He glanced at his watch, then patted Quatre on the shoulder.

Quatre shut the drill down to a purring idle. "Yes?"

"Here." Trowa handed Quatre a bottle. "Water. Then you need to eat. I also have some energy tabs. I've arranged for a couple of men to train as tenders. The two crewmen can't keep it up like we can. But those two are quick learners and, if we trade them off, the original two can train another two. We'll manage."

And they did. Quatre kept the drill going, punching a hole through the asteroid, crews made up of the willing reporters and their crews shoring up the parts of the tunnel that threatened to collapse. It all went well until the gravity started playing tricks on them.

Quatre had locked the guidance system in on the proper course. When he first started drilling gravity was at ninety degrees, 100%. Then it changed so that it felt like Quatre was drilling straight up, then down, then back to level.

Now he was drilling up again. This was much harder than you would have thought as Quatre had to brace himself and the machine so that he could gain purchase to push the machine into the face of the tunnel. Now Quatre had to brace one foot on a jack, push the drill against the face and then step the other foot up and do it all over again.

Someone had to place the jacks so that Quatre could stand on them. Trowa was doing that himself. He checked his watch. It was time for Quatre to rest again. Quatre wanted to work straight through but Trowa wouldn't let him. He was making sure that Quatre rested for thirty minutes every two hours, had plenty of water and ate. He also gave him stimulant tabs, which he was taking himself. They'd all used them during the war and could attest to their effectiveness. But they had a huge down side. They were only effective when combined with enough food and water to keep up with their bodies demands and they only worked for 14 hours. Then their bodies just quit. They'd fall asleep and couldn't be awakened for at least 20 hours. Trowa didn't care. Once they got out of this hole, he wanted to sleep and he didn't care who wanted to talk to him, or Quatre.

So they drilled and drilled and suffered in the heat, humidity and bad air of the tunnel. The air was terrible, not because of the exhalations of the men, but because the cutting head gave off gasses from the rock. The air was vented into the tunnel face by the cutter, blowing off the gasses. Trowa had gotten word from Mr. Farnsworth that they'd managed to get the 'cracker' going. They were converting water back into hydrogen and oxygen and pumping it into the tunnel. And someone had figured out how to filter the water and reuse it. That was a relief.

When Trowa patted his shoulder Quatre set the drill to idle and just sat down on the jack he'd been standing on. He took the water, food and stimulants without comment. Trowa settled beside him with his own meal.

"How you holding up?"

Quatre leaned back against the wall. "Good. I'm going to crash the second I'm out of the tunnel. You?"

"I give myself about ten minutes past that. What do you want to do?"

"I want you to give orders now that we're to be taken directly to the infirmary. I'm not talking to reporters, or anyone. I want to sleep until I wake up myself. In the same bed with you. Ok?"

"I'll give orders as soon as I'm done with this. I'm turning setting the jacks over to another man for two hours. I've got to get some rest or I'll be down and out before we finish. I won't even have the ten minutes we need. Finish that water."

"I will. I'm sweating like a whore at a prayer meeting. I'm going to have to shed the top of this coverall."

Trowa helped Quatre peel the top down and winced. Quatre's shoulders, where the harness pressed into the flesh, were bruised purple. Quatre looked and shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"I know. It just looks bad."

Trowa eased down the ladder of jacks and turned his place over to a big man who smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll take good care of him. Two hours?"

Trowa nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

.

The reporters had all managed to keep cameras and recorders running. Those who were actually working on the tunnel were getting support from others, who sent footage to their stations for them. There was constant coverage from the source.

Mr. Farnsworth didn't interfere with them as long as they stayed out of the way of the drill crew and the men tending the water plant and the filtering station. No one did.

But they did send out footage taken at the face, footage of Quatre battling the drill to keep it running straight when a vein of softer rock wanted to pull it off course. And footage of his grim face as he discussed setting jacks with one of the support crew, jacks they later showed him standing on. The reporters explained all the problems, looking more and more stressed and rumpled as the day went on.

The executives did their part too, surprisingly enough. Some of them organized feeding everyone, arranging for people who could cook to do so, and for the servers to make sure that everyone got something and no one took more than they were entitled to. They were also the one's to arrest the scientist, Mr. Fielding and another man. The three who were directly responsible for throwing the switch, against Quatre's direct order. There were also a few who were just troublemakers. They were all under guard in the corner Quatre had designated as the jail.

All of ESUN looked on in horror as one young executive and his aide struggled to rescue nearly one hundred people from death by suffocation, starvation or collapse of their refuge.

.

Trowa took up his position behind Quatre again. He was hoping that the gravity would do them a favor and turn again. Quatre was wearing out quicker than expected and needing stims more often. A few feet later Trowa's hopes were answered, the tunnel straightened and flattened to horizontal again. It didn't matter that it had always been horizontal, it mattered what it felt like. And that was vertical.

Quatre was sweating so heavily that he was stopping every thirty minutes to drink. His shoulders were now raw from the rubbing of the harness and he really looked like a miner. His face was caked with mud made up of sweat and dust from the drill. His hands were blistered and raw from handling the controls. Even his calluses from piloting a gundam hadn't saved him.

Trowa had kept him in gloves until he wore out the last pair that would fit him. He'd worn out three pairs of gloves in six hours. He was coming up on hour nine and Trowa was beginning to worry that he wasn't going to make it. One reporter, seeing that they'd trained other men to be tenders had asked why Quatre didn't train someone to take his place. Trowa had been glad to see that it was obviously more from concern for Quatre than anything else. The reply had been simple, training on this drill took 20 hours of class and 100 hours of experience. Quatre had managed to squeeze it in between boardroom and office duties.

Trowa never understood how Quatre managed to do everything he did and make it look so effortless. Quatre had never let him feel neglected either. He shook his head, got another bottle of water and went back to the face.

.

It took exactly ten hours and twenty minutes to cut the tunnel that would rescue them all. The last twenty minutes were hell on earth for the four people tending the drill. Quatre was so exhausted that he couldn't think. Trowa was nearly so. The two tenders were ready to drop and had only held on this long because they'd lose too much time changing them out.

Quatre walked the drill out into the open space that had been created by removing all the goods in the warehouse that was their target. The waiting medics caught him as he collapsed. Trowa followed him, gave his orders and promptly fell on his face. The two tenders were in just as bad a shape and only managed to make it to stretchers before they too were out cold.

Medics scurried around, tending to Quatre, Trowa and the two tenders. Reporters climbed out of the tunnel and immediately started to broadcast. ESUN officials demanded things, Preventers took people into custody. Quatre and Trowa slept through it all.

The medics just scooped them up and took them to the infirmary without interference.

No one thought to notify Heero or Duo that they were free and safe, they had to find out from the news. They didn't mind, thought, they were just glad that their friends were well.

.

Quatre groaned and struggled to open his eyes. He finally managed and saw Trowa sitting on the side of his bed. He smiled at Quatre, Quatre sighed.

"Morning, sleepy head. Tea?" Trowa helped Quatre sit up, stuffing pillows behind his back to help him stay upright.

"Mmmm, yes, tea would be very nice. Thank you." Quatre accepted the cup and let Trowa steady it as he sipped. "Good. What's going on?"

"Shit storm." Trowa's trademark taciturnity was in full force. Quatre sighed, this was not good.

"Ok. More please."

Trowa gave him a quick outline of what was going on. Quatre grumbled, then announced in no uncertain terms that Liala and her crew were responsible for the mess, they were responsible for the clean up. He wasn't involved. His announcement was profane, in six languages, and left no room for argument, especially since he'd declined into the gutter Arabic that he'd learned from the Maguanacs.

"Ok. I'll let them know. What do you want to do after?"

Quatre tugged on Trowa's hand. "I want to go back to sleep, and I want you to sleep with me."

"Sounds good. I still feel like I've been run over by a bus. The only reason I'm up at all is because I wanted to be here when you woke up." Trowa smirked at Quatre, making him wonder what Trowa was up to.

Trowa met his chosen reporters, handed over the recording and reminded them that they weren't to censor it, nor excerpt it. They'd agreed before he arranged to make the recording. They knew what would happen if they broke their word. None of them wanted a visit from Nanashi in the middle of the night.

It didn't take them long to grasp the fact that Quatre Rabbera Winner had severed ties with all his sisters and, as the general public wanted, turned over the running of WEI to them, reserving the right to take over again when, or if, the company got into trouble. They didn't realize that the inertia of a company that big would keep that from happening any time soon.

They also didn't realize that he was still entitled to and insisted on having an income from WEI that equaled 3% of the total GROSS income of the company. Three percent didn't sound like much but the vast resources of WEI put the sum into the hundreds of millions. More than enough to support the initial construction of Mina Hurr. And, since Mina Hurr was already producing salable items, it was going to become self sufficient quite soon.

Quatre and Trowa went back to sleep for another six hours.

.

Quatre woke up first this time and gently blew into Trowa's ear. "Mmmm, what? Evil man."

"Wake up. I want to leave so we need to figure out how to get our hands on a transport without my sisters finding out."

"You're running away."

"Damn fuckin' right I am. I'm not taking a chance of that pack getting wind of my escape."

"Ok. I'll just get us something to eat and have a word with ..."

"No! You know they all spy on me. That's one of the reasons I'm still so paranoid. Food, then we just go."

Trowa knew exactly what Quatre was talking about and sympathized, he'd just wanted to make sure he knew exactly what Quatre wanted to do. He smiled, then rose to get them something to eat.

Quatre spent the time writing letters to the sisters that had been most on his side. He just explained that he was tired of being head of a family that spent all their time undermining his decisions and fighting behind his back. He wished them well, gave them some advice and signed, 'Respectfully, QRW' He folded the real paper and put each letter in it's own envelope.

Trowa entered just as he finished. He was carrying a handful of energy bars and two bottles of sports drink. Quatre took a bar and ripped off the wrapper.

"I really hate these things, you know? Ate too many of them alone in the dark during the war."

Trowa shrugged. "Sorry. You should have told me that a long time ago. I just grabbed them because they were handy. And I could get my hands on them without attracting attention."

"Oh, well, that's ok. What are we going to use for transport?"

Trowa smirked at Quatre. "Are you aware that you have a private shuttle of your own?"

"Yes, but one of my sisters is usually using it. I've never actually managed to go anywhere in it."

"Well, it's here. I gave the captain orders while I was looking for food. The ship will be ready to depart as soon as we are."

Quatre smiled at Trowa, one of his special, bright, sunny ones. The one that Duo called a 'Buster Beam of Happiness'. Trowa smiled back.

Quatre ate two bars and finished the drink. Trowa had three bars and drank some water along with his drink. They ate in companionable silence keeping their eyes moving from door to door. Trowa snickered a bit.

"What?"

"Who's going to jump us from the shadows?"

"My sisters, reporters, cameramen? Don't know, don't care." Quatre wadded the last wrapper up. "You ready?"

"Yes, let's go."

They walked to the transport and found that not only was it Quatre's private 'yacht' but had their gundams stored in the cargo hold.

"Good day, Master Quatre." The captain saluted Quatre never realizing that calling him Master was condescending and insulting. Quatre wasn't a child to be called master instead of mister.

Quatre gave him back a severe stare. "You may call me _Mister _Winner. I'll be piloting today."

The captain looked at Quatre for a moment. "But you can't. You have to have a license to pilot."

Quatre gave him a disbelieving glare. "I know that. I have one. In fact, I have several. Earth to Orbit Shuttle. Inter and Intra system, and Gundam. You know, those big mecha that won the war? Like the one's in the cargo bay? Get out of my way." Quatre stomped by the captain and headed for the cockpit. Trowa followed with the captain right on his heels.

"Quatre?"

"I'm tired. Tired of all the politics and shit. I'm master here, how dare he condescend to me like that? I'm going to have respect if I have to shoot someone to get it."

Trowa relaxed. "Ok, fine by me. You've put up with shit way too long in my opinion. Your sisters subtly undermined you with everyone. 'Poor Quatre, so stressed' or 'Don't let Quatre run all over you.' Time you did put your foot down."

Quatre settled in the captain's seat. "I just didn't want conflict within the family. Didn't work very well, did it?"

Trowa shook his head. "No, it didn't. Start check list."

Quatre started reading off the required information. Trowa checked things off.

"Hello, I'm the navigator. I assume that Mr. Barton will be co-chair?"

Trowa nodded. Quatre just continued reading off data. The navigator settled in his place and started up his computers. "Mr. Jones, navigator ready."

"Mina Hurr."

"Yes, sir."


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 12/?

Word count: 8094

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Authors note: Not much of a real plot so much as just incidents in building a colony and how the boys handle them.

.

Wufei read the legal documents, then snarled and threw them across the room. He felt like he was going to cry, or scream, or shoot someone. Milliardo stuck his head out of the bathroom, hands full of hair that he was braiding.

"What's up? You look like someone stole your gundam."

Wufei snarled. "They've severed the trials. That means that, instead of attending three or four, we have to be available for all 30 of them. This is going to take ... months, if not years." Wufei rubbed his face. "I'm so tired of all this. They'll question, and question, round and round until I'm ready to shoot them all. All to get me to tell a lie. They don't want the truth, only what will serve their purpose. I can't stand it."

Milliardo just finished braiding his hair and went to rummage for a shirt. He knew that he and Wufei were not really necessary to the trials now. Their testimony had been recorded and it wasn't that unusual for someone in this situation to testify long distance, via inter colony video. He wondered why they were being singled out.

"We'll appeal. We have rights too. I'm as sick of the mess as you are. They're actually imprisoning us on this station. There's got to be a law."

Wufei looked a Milliardo's disgusted expression, then smiled. "I think there is. We just need to find it."

Milliardo looked thunderstruck for a moment then grinned in a very nasty way. "I'll get your computer." Milliardo brought Wufei's computer to him and set his own on the table. He went to make tea and toast as Wufei started setting up both computers.

They spent the next hour going through everything they could find on detaining witnesses and long distance testimonies. What they found was a bit depressing. It seemed that ESUN had laws about detaining witnesses, but none about after the charges had been filed and trial started. The laws only pertained to fact finding before arrests were made. Or witness protection.

Wufei finally leaned back against the couch and rubbed his stinging eyes. "Well, that's just about that. I can't find any more references. Can you?" Milliardo shook his head. "Fine, then we just have to figure out how much authority the station actually has over us." He sighed, stretched and grunted. "More research. Gah!"

"No more research." Milliardo looked at his watch. "It's nearly four pm. We've been at this for nearly..." He stopped to figure, "six hours. We even skipped lunch. I'm hungry and my eyes are burning. We should go eat, take a walk, maybe even go to the dojo. We'll do better if we're fresh." He fished around in the pile of notes and other detritus on the coffee table. "Here. Start a search with these parameters and I'll do this one. The searches should be done by the time we get back."

Wufei just nodded. Milliardo was right; they weren't going to get anywhere if they worked while they were exhausted. He accepted the paper and quickly typed in the parameters and started the search.

Wufei stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, this was when he realized that he hadn't taken a shower yet today. "Ugh! I need a shower." He sniffed his armpits. "Badly."

Milliardo started to snicker and finally had to sit down. Wufei gave him a disgruntled glare and went into the bathroom. Milliardo followed him.

Wufei was already in the shower when Milliardo managed to get his clothing off. He joined Wufei and wrapped his arms around his lover. After nibbling on his neck just long enough to make Wufei's knees weak, Milliardo started to wash his hair. Wufei loved it when Milliardo washed his hair for him. The firm scalp massage didn't hurt either.

Wufei sighed and leaned back against Milliardo. "You're good for me. That feels wonderful."

Milliardo turned Wufei around and spent a few moments kissing him. "Look, you're so tense you're about to snap. We need to do some stress control, or we're both going to do something rash." He looked down at Wufei with a serious expression.

Wufei refrained from laughing at the silly looking plastic cap that Milliardo wore to keep his hard to dry hair from getting wet. "Yes, I know. First things first, let's get something to eat. Something good. Then, dojo?"

Wufei thought for a moment, reaching out to pull the cap off Milliardo's head. "Yes, dojo. But no combat, I need serenity. Tai chi, then a kata, I think. Then sex." Milliardo blinked. "We haven't done anything in ... at least two weeks."

Milliardo looked a bit shocked. "It hasn't been that long! ... Has it? It ..." He stopped to think. First there'd been the shock of being refused tickets when they'd tried to leave the colony after the first trial. Then the second trial had dragged on for three days, in which they'd dragged themselves back to their apartment exhausted from all the examination, cross examination, and on and on. He gave Wufei a stunned look. "Damn, it has, hasn't it? No wonder we're both so stressed. Fuck!"

Wufei smirked at Milliardo. "I intend to. Come on."

They got dressed in simple jeans and t-shirts and heavy boots. Wufei wouldn't wear ship shoes on the station, claiming they weren't dignified. Milliardo wouldn't wear them either, in his case it was because his feet were so big that there wasn't a pair on the station that fit him.

As they walked in the direction of the restaurant Wufei asked Milliardo, "Do you have a need for _that_ sort of sex?"

Milliardo didn't have to ask what Wufei meant. He thought for a moment. "No, I don't. I just want you to fuck me 'til I walk funny. I haven't done anything ... bad lately."

Wufei's sour expression amused Milliardo. "You're not bad. You don't deserve punishment."

Milliardo smiled at Wufei's reflection in a window. "I'm beginning to realize that. But, you know, I like that some of our ... activities..." he raised an eyebrow, "are pleasurable in their own right."

Wufei laughed softly. "Just admit that you're a perv and be done with it. I'll also admit that I find some of your ... kinks, turn me on as well."

Milliardo snorted softly. "Just admit you like tying me up."

"I do. I love the way the ropes look against your white skin. And the feeling that you trust me that much is ... it leaves me speechless."

Milliardo stopped Wufei with a hand on his arm. He swept the smaller man into a bear hug that made him wheeze. Wufei dipped his head to kiss Milliardo, they spent several minutes 'sucking face' as Duo called it. Their attention was drawn from each other when someone laughed and hollered, "Get a damn room, you two."

Wufei laughed and let Milliardo put him down.

After they rearranged clothing rumpled by their hugging, they made their way to the restaurant they favored. They liked it because it was near their apartment, only one corridor over and a short way back toward center. And, it was Chinese, which made Wufei happy.

Milliardo had never admitted that he really didn't care what he ate. He'd been hungry enough times in his life that food was food. He liked flavor and freshness compared to MRE's or, worse, energy bars, but when push came to shove, food was food.

"Ni How!" Wufei's cheerful 'Hello' rang out. Everyone in the place rushed to wait on them.

They were shown to a table, given tea and a bowl of rice. The waiter stood to one side to take their order, reciting the specials in quick Mandarin. Milliardo had no idea what the boy said but Wufei translated quickly. Milliardo declined Duck foot Soup and squid with a shake of his head.

"You want family style or individual?" Wufei eyed the menu absently, looking for any changes.

"Family is fine. How about Happy Family, Shrimp and snow peas, and ... um... I'm hungry for noodles."

"Crisp and Spicy lo mein is good. Or ... There's soba with oyster sauce."

Milliardo thought about that, then said, "I thought soba was Japanese."

Wufei snorted. "About 300 years ago. All the oriental people have more or less melded into one yellow peril." He grinned at that old joke and Milliardo groaned. They both remembered the day that Milliardo had referred to Wufei as that damn Yellow peril, just before he blew up the station that Milliardo was in charge of.

"Ok, I do like soba, but I don't think oyster sauce does it. I'd like it a bit hotter than that."

Wufei considered the options. "Well, there's that really good garlic and tofu soba, we could just have them add a pepper to it."

Milliardo nodded his agreement. "Yes, that really sounds good. And Velvet Chicken with green onions."

The waiter never batted an eyelash at the order. He just wrote it down and left.

"We should have gone to the dojo first, then eaten. We'll be loggy."

Wufei shook his head. "My blood sugar was so low I would probably have passed out. We'll walk around for half an hour and be fine. Not like I'm going to do inverted yoga postures, that really would be a mistake. More tea?" He lifted the pot. Milliardo pushed his cup over with a nod.

Wufei poured himself a third cup, the first and second having disappeared while they were deciding their order. As he sipped it, he pondered their dilemma. If they left the colony they would be subject to ESUN legal sanctions, if they didn't, he was going to go crazy and so was Milliardo. There was no reason for them to have to testify, identical testimonies, in almost 30 trials, the facts were the facts. They should be allowed to give a full factual statement and let the chips fall where they may.

The only reason that things were going the way they were was that the lawyers wanted to allow only facts that were supportive of their case in and exclude anything that was detrimental. That meant the prosecution and defense were already wrangling over what was admissible and what was not. And each attorney wanted to interview both Milliardo and Wufei and try to convince them to only testify to want they wanted admitted, a thing that drove Wufei to distraction. He was severely tempted to refuse to testify at all, or go on one of his more violent 'justice' rants. The only thing preventing him was the simple fact that he really didn't want to go to jail for contempt of court.

"We have to get off this station."

Milliardo nearly choked on his tea. "What? What are you talking about? We can't. We'll be arrested and returned. They'll put us both in jail until the trials are over."

Wufei blinked at Milliardo's sudden panic, then he realized that Milliardo would never go back to any confinement, he'd self-destruct.

"Hush, think. All we have to do is get to Mina Hurr. There's no extradition agreement between ESUN and Mina Hurr. Just think about it. Now calm down, our food is coming."

Milliardo flushed heavily and bowed his head over his tea. "Sorry. I didn't realize that I was going to panic like that."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't realize that your imprisonment had done that much damage. Be calm. If you really can't do it, we'll just endure. But how this is different from before, I can't see."

Milliardo nibbled at his lower lip for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's not. I'll have to think about it. But not now. I think I'd rather eat than brood."

Wufei refrained from remark, he just started serving the food, putting another bowl of rice before Milliardo as well as a divided plate with a serving of each dish arranged neatly in each section. He also poured some soy sauce in the center.

"There. Eat, then we'll walk around and talk about this some more. The walk will prepare us for the dojo. Relax. We won't do anything without due consideration. We'll research everything carefully, maybe there's some other way out of this."

Wufei led the way out of the restaurant, neither one of them had allowed their concerns to spoil their appetite. Milliardo found it a bit scary that both of them had fallen back on training without a second's hesitation. After a quick glance around, they headed off for their walk.

It didn't take but a few minutes to reach an area they'd never gotten to before as they usually took a different, quicker route. This time they were trying to work off some of their meal before getting to the dojo. Wufei had never realized that they were so close to the main space port until now.

They walked around for half an hour, subconsciously checking out access to the cargo bays and boarding area. If all else failed, they now had a silent covenant to run for it.

Wufei finally turned his steps toward the dojo. Milliardo followed him, mind churning.

When they split up in the locker room, several of the other members followed Milliardo instead of Wufei.

Milliardo headed for the weight room, deciding he wasn't going to calm from Tai chi. He wasn't in the mood for contemplation, so he went for mind numbing exertion instead.

He entered the weight room and headed directly for the free weights. He didn't want the machines, they wouldn't do what he needed, which was to exhaust him enough that he could rest. He knew the stress was really getting to him. Between testifying in the current case and getting briefed for it, they didn't have anything to do. Neither he nor Wufei were used to this sort of inactivity and Wufei was also worried about his responsibilities on Mina Hurr.

Milliardo sat down on the weight bench and tested the weight. It was too light so he added another plate. He settled back to start his routine and, just as he reached for the bar, heard a voice.

"You better get a spotter or the staff will be all over you."

Milliardo twisted slightly to look up at the speaker. "Ok, you'll do. How 'bout it?"

The man nodded, examined Milliardo, then asked, "Are you sure about the weight. I'm not trying to be critical but if I'm your spotter, I need to know."

Milliardo just grunted, then remarked, "Don't worry about it, better to ask than let me get hurt. I'm sure about the weight, I'm just doing a maintenance."

The man blinked for a second then shrugged. "Well, ok, my name's Jeff, by the way. Ready?" Milliardo nodded and dismounted the bar. "Go."

Jeff started counting his reps and spotting him to make sure that he didn't drop the weight bar on himself. Milliardo remembered the time when he was a cadet that one of the other cadets had dropped the bar on his throat, crushing his larynx and nearly killing himself. Jeff was there to make sure that didn't happen.

As he worked out Milliardo let his mind wander. He was going to have to get himself and Wufei off the station soon. They were both becoming way too tense. This tension was not good for them. Their psychological makeup was Warrior, with a capitol W, and they weren't dealing well with a confinement situation that they couldn't combat. And the lawyers for the defense weren't making things easy either.

These lawyers seemed always on the attack, pushing just to see if they could get either Milliardo or Wufei to lose their temper. It wasn't working but it was putting additional strain on both of them.

As he finished his last set, Milliardo made his decision. Wufei was right, they needed to leave and let the chips fall where they may.

He started another exercise and Jeff started counting again, Milliardo forced himself to keep his mind on his lifting.

Finally finished with his last set of reps for his last lift, Milliardo took the water that Wufei handed him and the towel from Jeff. "Thanks. Wufei, we really need to talk on the way home."

Jeff grinned at them and announced that he needed to find his girlfriend. Wufei thanked him for spotting Milliardo and waved him on his way.

"You want to take a shower here?"

"Yes, I'm too sweaty not to."

Wufei ran a hand through Milliardo's bangs, asking, "You over your panic attack?"

Milliardo glanced up at him, registered his tender look and shook his head. "Yes, I can't believe that I panicked like that. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. You were in such bad shape when I found you that it's a wonder you've held out as well as you have. We'll talk more later, when we're sure we won't be overheard."

Milliardo sniffed himself. "Ugh! Shower, now. I'm stinkier than you were earlier."

Wufei snorted a laugh then clambered to his feet to follow Milliardo to the showers.

The showers were empty so they didn't have to try to socialize or worry about offending someone. They rushed through the showers, washing each other's hair. After drying hair and general tidying up they headed back for home.

They ambled along for a few moments, looking in windows, then Milliardo sighed. He turned and wrapped his arms around an unresisting Wufei. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of his neck and whispered, "We have to get off this station before we both have a real breakdown. So, now what?"

Wufei lifted his face as if for a kiss and smiled, a tiny, sly thing. "Good, good. Reconnoiter first. I can get the station plans although I'm wondering if it's a good idea. We better not do any planning in our quarters, we don't know if they're bugged or not."

"Paranoid?" Milliardo chuckled softly

"Maxwell say. 'It's only paranoia if they're not actually after you.' I think they're after us."

"Probably right." Milliardo grinned at the old joke then straightened his shoulders. "So, you have court tomorrow and I don't."

"Start to check for a way to get to a bay or somewhere we can get our hands on a shuttle or ship of some sort."

"Got it. You try to keep your temper. I don't want to have to break you out of jail first."

Wufei sighed. "Ai-ya! I wish Duo was here. He could sneak into an old woman's coin purse."

Milliardo laughed at that old saying and nodded. "He could indeed. But we're both pretty sneaky when we need to be. I'll be taking a good look at several routes of egress; how many guards and so on. This shouldn't be very difficult for us. We just have to make sure to pick our time."

Wufei nodded, rubbing his cheek against Milliardo's shoulder. "Well, we better get going. We're going to start attracting too much attention."

"No, I made sure to place us so that we just look like a couple of young men necking in the shadows."

Wufei glanced around, looking over Milliardo's shoulder then his. "My mother would be shocked to bits. You're good."

"Yes, when I'm good, I'm very, very good; when I'm bad, I'm excellent." Milliardo pulled away a bit to look down at Wufei with a smirk.

Wufei pulled away and led the way back to their apartment.

.

They made it back without incident and settled in for a late afternoon of doing nothing. Wufei and Milliardo had both learned the value of this from both their psychiatrists and Duo. Wufei even admitted, under threat of tickle attack, that he liked it.

"Milliardo?"

"Hummm?"

"Would you submit?"

"Of course."

Milliardo got up and went into the bedroom. He stripped off his clothing and tossed it all into the hamper, then he knelt at the foot of the bed and waited.

Wufei kept a duffel in the back of the closet, in a foot locker at the moment, in which he kept the few things they used; mostly ropes. He opened it, retrieved what he wanted and went to the bedroom.

Milliardo smiled at him when he dropped the bundles of rope on the floor at his knees. They were beautiful, silk coils in purple and a glittering gold. Then Wufei moved to spread out the silken duvet that Milliardo knew he was to lay on. It was patterned in gold and purple, palm sized gold fleur-de-lis on a purple background.

Wufei settled on the bed behind Milliardo and handed him a hair tie to hold, then he began to brush Milliardo's hair. He brushed it slowly, long smooth sweeps of the brush that eased out every tangle, no matter how small. After he was sure that it was perfectly smooth he braided it into a loose braid and fastened off the end.

"Beautiful."

"Thank you."

Wufei picked up the first bundle of cord, the purple one and found the ends. He matched them up and pulled the cord through his hands to find the middle. He tied this around Milliardo's neck, checking carefully to make sure that it was not too tight and wouldn't tighten later then he did the same with the gold. Milliardo groaned softly.

"Good?" Wufei stopped and rubbed gently at Milliardo's shoulders.

"Yes, good." Milliardo let himself relax back into Wufei's knees for a moment. He was already getting hard.

"Ready?" Milliardo nodded. "Stand up then." Milliardo stood and waited.

Wufei began to lace the cords across Milliardo's shoulders and down his arms, first down his left arm, making alternating diamonds first of purple then of gold, guiding the unused cord through the knots to make the exchanges smooth, so as not to mark his lover's skin. After finishing at Milliardo's left wrist with a neat twist, he did the same starting at Milliardo's right shoulder then down that arm. He stopped from time to time to stroke Milliardo, on the arm, the shoulders, his cock.

Wufei tugged gently here and there to make sure that the cords were neither too tight nor too loose. Milliardo gave him a slightly puzzled look but remained silent. He knew that Wufei would make sure that they both got what they needed.

He took the set of cords from Milliardo's left wrist and leaving enough slack for later, started to tie his way down Milliardo's torso. After two rounds he brought the cords from the right side into play and wove a cage of silken cords across Milliardo's chest and abdomen, diamonds of gold and purple soon covered his torso. Wufei stepped back to check his work again.

Milliardo just gazed off into the middle distance, slowly falling into subspace. He was already feeling a bit drifty. He was also completely hard and beginning to weep a bit.

Wufei smiled to himself as he began tying diamonds down Milliardo's right leg. He tied off at the ankle and repeated his ties down Milliardo's left leg.

"Look."

Wufei turned Milliardo so that he could see himself in a mirror. Milliardo shivered a bit when he saw himself covered in purple and gold diamonds, his cock jutting away from his body and drooling. He wondered why Wufei had left so much slack but decided that he wasn't to ask, just wait and find out. He was prepared to do that.

"Kneel."

Milliardo knelt carefully. He was a bit off balance and nearly keeled over but Wufei steadied him with a hand on his shoulder, then patted him and continued. Wufei tied Milliardo's ankles to his thighs, slipping loops of cord under the juncture of cords already wrapped around his thighs. Milliardo groaned. Wufei passed these cords between Milliardo's buttocks, then under the cord at his waist. Wufei took a moment to stroke Milliardo's now reddening erection then pulled his wrists together and tied them by wrapping cords around them in alternating bands of color.

Milliardo moaned softly, dropping completely into subspace, his head drooping slightly. Wufei stopped what he was doing and checked carefully for any sign of distress or strain. Finding none, he continued.

Using the cords already in place, he laced Milliardo's arms together, pulling on the cords until his elbows met behind him, thrusting his chest out dramatically. Wufei took a moment to admire his work, then adjusted the cords on Milliardo's chest so that knots pinched at his nipples. Milliardo just sighed softly.

Wufei checked everything again, then arranged the cords a bit more artistically.

After rubbing Milliardo's arms and legs, which made him groan, Wufei finished by gently pushing Milliardo into position on his chest. He arranged more cords to hold Milliardo's cheeks apart and smiled. Milliardo was hard and leaking heavily.

Wufei admired his lover and waited. Suddenly Milliardo started to struggle, this was normal and expected, Wufei just waited it out, then rubbed Milliardo's back while he collected himself again.

When Milliardo's breathing evened out, Wufei fetched the last bundle of cord. It was smaller than the rest and much shorter as well. He used this to bind Milliardo's cock in several wraps of cord, then he wrapped a loop around Milliardo's balls and tugged, gently pulling them way from his body and against his perineum tying the cord to a cord around his waist.

Wufei made sure that all the cords were out of his way then reached for lube, he wasn't about to hurt Milliardo. He poured some lube into the palm of his hand, then dipped his fingers into it. Milliardo's anus was exposed and encircled by gold and purple cords. Wufei admired it even as he began preparations. He was as hard as Milliardo and he felt like he was going to explode at any second but he wasn't about to hurry. After checking again to make sure that Milliardo was in the proper space, Wufei eased one finger into Milliardo. They had a very active sex life and preparation wasn't really necessary, but Milliardo liked it.

Wufei moved his finger in and out, watching as Milliardo's anus flexed and clutched at him. He added more lube and another finger, listening as Milliardo groaned his pleasure. Wufei felt around for a moment then found what he was searching for. He stroked his fingers in and out, rubbing Milliardo's sweet spot with each stroke. Milliardo thrashed for a second then relaxed again.

Wufei teased himself for a moment then sat back to look at Milliardo again.

Milliardo waited for a few moments then sighed. He was beginning to hurt, just a bit, and he wanted to be taken care of. "Wufei, please."

"A moment, Bi Hai, I want to look."

"Xiao Long, I'm dying here."

Wufei smiled and slid three fingers into Milliardo. Milliardo yelped at the sudden stretch, then tried to push back on his fingers. Wufei held them just inside Milliardo and smiled at his frustrated groan.

"So needy. Patience."

Milliardo nearly snarled but when Wufei stroked him again he subsided.

After a few more moments of teasing, Wufei took pity on Milliardo and shoved into him with ease. One push set him balls deep in Milliardo's welcoming body. Wufei moaned softly at the sensations. Milliardo had tightened his muscles as soon as Wufei was completely inside his body but he was now alternately relaxing and tightening them.

Wufei gave a whimper of surrender and gave Milliardo what he wanted. He began to thrust with increasing force, Milliardo braced himself as best he could and tried to push back. Wufei set his pace and kept them both on the edge of coming for as long as he could stand it.

When they were both frantic to come and Milliardo was begging in a pitiful fashion, Wufei untied one knot and the cord fell away from Milliardo, allowing him to come. Wufei increased his exertions and hammered into Milliardo, hitting his prostate at every stroke. Milliardo came with a cry that sounded suspiciously like a scream. Wufei followed him as the contractions of Milliardo's muscles squeezed his orgasm from him. They both groaned and collapsed, Wufei rolling to keep his weight off Milliardo. He didn't want to put too much pressure on his bound arms or legs.

They lay panting, sweaty and exhausted for a while then Milliardo stirred, rolling from his sprawl on his stomach to lay on his side.

"'Fei? I'm starting to cramp." Milliardo made a soft uncomfortable noise.

"I'm sorry. It took me a bit to catch my breath."

Wufei started untying his lover, rubbing at the small red marks that some of the knots had made. Milliardo shook out his arms and straightened out one long leg, then the other as Wufei undid knot after knot. He sighed and stretched.

"That was good. I feel much better."

Wufei tossed the cords to one side to be neatly put away later. "I'm glad. I feel better too. We shouldn't neglect ourselves like that again. This trial is destroying both of us."

Milliardo stood and gathered up the duvet, throwing it casually over the bed with one sweep of his arms. "There. Better. It is and we're leaving as soon as we can manage it." Wufei hissed softly. "Don't worry. I know we were worried about bugs, but do you really think they would bug me?"

Wufei thought about that as he started the shower. "Now that I think about it, no. Nor would they dare bug The Chang of Chang."

They showered, taking their time. Wufei made sure to examine Milliardo carefully to be sure that he wasn't injured in anyway. Milliardo's hair stayed in its braid to keep it dry. Wufei washed his again as his sweaty scalp was sure to keep him awake.

Milliardo was yawning widely by the time they finished. Wufei chuckled softly. "Sleepy?"

"Mmmm-ummm." Milliardo nodded and leaned against the side of the shower.

"Don't go to sleep until we get into bed. I'm not about to try to carry your heavy carcass to it."

Milliardo grinned slyly. "Why not?"

"Because, you great lump, I'm not about to strain my back. Come on. Bed."

Wufei urged Milliardo out of the shower, helped him dry off, then dried himself. They barely made it to the bed before they were both out like the proverbial light.

.

Wufei eyed the defense lawyer with a very jaundiced eye and made his decision. "I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it's ill phrased and confusing." He turned to the judge. "Please ask him to rephrase the question into a more understandable form."

The judge did as Wufei asked and the lawyer tried again. "Did you or did you not subject the suit in question to an intrusive examination after the fact."

Wufei's expression hardened. "That is still not an acceptable question."

The lawyer snapped, "And why not?"

Wufei eyed him like he was something that needed to be scraped of the sole of his shoe. "Because 'Did you or did you not' is open to all sorts of misinterpretation. If I chose to answer in the negative it could be construed as a lie, answering 'did you not', which I did. But if I answer in the positive it could still be construed as a negative answer. Either way, the question is not only bad English, as in non-standard usage of the word not, but of questionable construction on several levels."

He settled back to see what the lawyer would make of that. He chose to ask for a side-bar, in which he asked the judge to declare Wufei a hostile witness.

Wufei just shook his head and announced for the whole court to hear, "A side-bar, how childish. You make it look like you're running to daddy because I won't play fair, never mind that I'm right and you're wrong. Or is it just that you don't want the whole court to hear what you have to say, as if they're not really smart enough to understand it."

The judge just gave a weary sigh and resisted the urge to bang his gavel down on the Defense. "I will not declare Chang Wufei a hostile witness." He eyed the defense lawyer for a second. "And I'd suggest that the Defense control his dramatic urges more carefully." He snorted at the lawyer's outraged expression. "And we'll adjourn for the rest of the day. Tempers are too high to continue. Council for the Defense will see to it that there are no more incidents like today. Adjourned." He banged his gavel and stood up, ignoring the Defense's exclamation of "Objection." Grumbling, "Objectionable little shit." he made it through the door to his chambers before he did something he wanted to do.

The Defense snarled, turned to Wufei and snapped, "I suppose you're happy now, but just you wait, I'll get under your skin yet, Chink."

Wufei laughed over the gasps of the spectators, the defense lawyer had forgotten that the omni-directional mic wasn't turned off yet. His remarks had been heard all over the courtroom, and been entered into the record.

The whole defense team sighed; this was not going to go down well with the media.

Wufei just raised one eyebrow. He remarked, with calm certainty, "No, you won't. I've been tortured by experts, I've been interviewed by men with a combined experience of over seventy years. You, you young upstart, don't have a chance. Excuse me."

He stood up and walked to the doors, opened one and left, head high.

He was three steps down the stair well when he heard two men talking.

"I don't care, I want that little bastard behind bars before he can figure out how to take off. We need to be able to break him."

"Ok, boss, I'll see what I can do. I'm not too sure about starting a brawl with him, he's really good."

"Damn it! I have to get a handle on him quick."

"Maybe plant some drugs on him or something."

"Maybe ..." The rest was lost as they walked away from the stairwell door.

Wufei sighed, rubbed his face and thought hard. He headed for home, his mind made up.

.

"That self-satisfied, sanctimonious prick had the nerve to try to one up me. Me! The Chang of Chang. Idiot." The rest of Wufei's rant was delivered in a combination of English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Taiwanese that baffled Milliardo. All he knew was the Wufei was furious, disgusted and had been threatened in some way.

Milliardo let Wufei rant for a while, then grabbed him and tugged him into a hug. "Hush, we'll deal. We always do. Relax."

Wufei didn't struggle against Milliardo; instead he rested his forehead on Milliardo's shoulder and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ying, I shouldn't let him get to me, but ... if I don't get it out here, I'll lose it later." He sighed again. "Is it wrong for me to think about stepping on them with Altron?"

"No, as long as all you do is think." He pushed Wufei away a bit and looked down at him. "Calm now?"

"Yes, I'm calm now. Wu Long, we need to leave this place now. They threatened to get me arrested for something. One voice even suggested planting drugs on me."

"Zhengde, I didn't understand what you said, it was all in Chinese of one sort or another. Except for assorted profanities. What are you talking about?"

So Wufei told Milliardo everything that he'd heard. Milliardo frowned when he was done and began pacing. As he paced, he applied his skills as a commander to work out a viable plan for their escape. He had plenty of data to work with because the medical station was not a prison nor particularly secure. It was a civilian establishment instead of military. He was vain enough to think that a military installation of this level wouldn't hold them either. He was right.

Wufei just watched and did some planning of his own. After they were both satisfied with their personal plans, they would compare them and take the agreed upon best of both and make their escape. As it worked out, their plans were nearly identical, except that Wufei chose to try to go out a cargo bay and Milliardo was more in favor of a transport bay.

Wufei picked at his lip for a moment, then nodded to himself. "We'll play that by ear. How much do you want to try to pack?"

"Not much. We can probably get away with packing our gym bags, but anything else will raise suspicion on sight. I can get two changes of clothing in mine."

"Mine as well. If we leave out the shoes, I think we might manage three."

Milliardo shrugged. "I can manage with two changes and extra underwear."

"Good, I'll leave the packing to you as you're actually better at it than I am. Don't pack anything we can do without and that includes toiletries. We can always buy more later."

"Got it. I'll make sure to pack our computers. We have some weapons, but ... how much trouble do you expect and what kind?"

"Not too sure, but if there is any I want to be armed."

Milliardo just nodded and went into the bedroom.

It didn't take them long to change their clothing and pack. They both donned BDU's, both pants and jackets, the multiple pockets would be a great help in carrying possessions. Wufei found that he didn't really have anything that couldn't be replaced. He'd left his precious family sword in Quatre's private vault on Earth and he wasn't that attached to anything else except his computer.

He closed up both computers, marveling again at the small size that Heero and Duo had managed. These computers were the third generation of the computer that Heero had built just six months ago. The first generation had been about the size of a paperback book. These were less than the size of an old fashioned pack of cigarettes. He tucked his in one of his jacket pockets and handed the other to Milliardo.

"You ready?"

Milliardo just handed him his gym bag and started for the door, saying over his shoulder, "I managed to get three changes of clothing and twice that of underwear in these. We also have handguns and ammo in the shoe compartment. We both also have a bottle of three-in-one soap, a toothbrush and paste. I've got stuff in all my pockets; food, snacks and dry rations mostly. You?"

"About the same, with a comfy for good measure."

Milliardo couldn't help a grin. "Me too." A comfy was a blanket that was soft and warm and could be compacted into a palm sized pack, nearly every mercenary carried one as a matter of course.

"Well, we're off."

"In more ways than one." Wufei's rueful face made Milliardo shake his head.

They walked out of their apartment just as they had done for weeks. They walked to the gym, entered and went through to the locker room, but they didn't stay there, instead they walked right out the back door into the service alley. Wufei looked around, then pointed. "There. You were right, there's a service access here." They both hurried to the back of the dead end alley and Milliardo lifted the cover. They dropped their bags down and eased in themselves, dropping into the darkness as quietly as possible.

Milliardo rustled for a moment, then a beam of light bloomed in his hand. Wufei produced his own light a moment later. The soft buzzing sound alerted Milliardo that Wufei's light was a rechargeable one, the small hand crank made a distinctive sound.

"Ok, which way?"

Milliardo pointed toward the port and led the way. "We'll stay in the maintenance corridors and under-colony until we find some way off the station. I'll make arrangements to pay for whatever we steal before it becomes an issue."

Wufei nodded, then realized that his partner couldn't see him. "Good, that'll keep Preventers from interfering. They won't bother us for running off on the trial, as our testimony is on record, but they'd come after us for a stolen ship."

"If Preventers won't come after us for skipping out, why did we wait so long? And, how do you know that?"

Wufei's sigh was loud in the silence of under colony. "I finally got my head out of my ass and looked up ESUN law. They can't force us to testify. The only problem used to be that, if the primary witnesses refused to testify, they would get off. Now, and in this trial especially, secondary witnesses can be enough. There's enough other testimony that they really don't need us. I swear, I think all this is just some sort of attempt to disqualify our testimony or something."

Milliardo snorted and showed his aristocratic upbringing when he announced, "Well, forget about all of that. I am. We'll be out of here in under an hour."

"Bet?"

"Yes."

Wufei shone his light on something over his head. "What?"

"A week's foot rubs."

"Done."

Milliardo moved up beside Wufei to see what he was looking at.

He was looking up at the belly of a ship. It was a small, fast courier and had the logo of an independent company on it. Wufei looked at Milliardo who just nodded.

"We can take that ship, hit space and contact Winner to rent it for us. All we have to do is get to it and get launched."

Wufei sighed. "It's not going to be easy. We've got to get out of here, into the bay and onto the ship. It's not like we can shoot our way onto the damn thing."

Milliardo snickered. "You're thinking like a terrorist. These people are used to pilots showing up, walking on board and leaving. They probably haven't seen the same pilots more than once or twice. We have to get out of here and into the bay."

Wufei nodded his understanding, then hissed, "You're right. So, we look for a hatch somewhere close. Preferably in a closet or something like that."

"Exactly. Then we just walk in, show our pilots licenses and take off."

"Simple. Why do I get a creepy feeling?"

"Because you're paranoid."

Wufei just grunted and started looking for their way out.

It didn't take them long to find it. It was on the wrong side of the bay for their needs but it was the only one they could find in the area that it was possible to open. They opened it and crawled out, Wufei tossing their bags up to Milliardo, then allowing him to give him a hand up.

Wufei peeked around a pile of boxes, then motioned for Milliardo to take the next position. Milliardo moved quickly from behind Wufei to the next pile of cargo. They made it all the way across the bay to the inner doors this way.

Milliardo eased the door open and slipped out, followed quickly by Wufei. They leaned against the wall of the air lock for a moment.

Wufei looked at Milliardo, then said, "I'm taking the braid out of my hair. You need to braid yours more tightly and include your bangs. That'll make us look different. There's been enough of our pictures on the news lately that someone might recognize us."

"You're right. I wish I had a cap. That'd help too."

Wufei just smirked and pulled two caps from his thigh pocket. He handed one to Milliardo and put the other on his head, backwards. Milliardo pulled his down over his eyes a bit, the shadow changing his eye color just enough.

They just walked across the bay, entered the ship, showed their licenses to the man in the cockpit and accepted the papers he handed them. It seemed that the ground crew was expecting two pilots sometime that afternoon. They assumed that they were the pilots arriving early and just turned the ship over without a murmur. Wufei signed for the ship, using his own name but signing in kanji. His sheepish admission that he couldn't read or write English was greeted with a laugh and the declaration that most pilots didn't write English either. He claimed that the 'chicken scratching' that most pilots produced had to be some foreign language that only pilots knew. He maintained a stream of chatter as he turned the ship over to them, then took himself off to find coffee.

Milliardo settled in the pilot's seat after a round of rock, paper, scissors to decided who was pilot and who was co-pilot.

"Oh, this feels good. I can't believe we pulled it off."

Wufei started his instrument checks. "Don't pat yourself on the back just yet. We still have to launch."

Milliardo just nodded then started his launch countdown, initiating contact with control. The man on the other end was curious as to why they were launching now and asked, "I thought this flight was scheduled for this afternoon. 1600 or something."

"Change in plans. We both got set up earlier than expected. So we figured we'd go ahead and take off. Get a little bonus for early delivery. We can take off, right?"

"Yeah, I can sneak you in between a couple of commercial flights. Those guys never get off on time. Passengers just don't have any consideration at all, know what I mean? Really. Well, enough chatter. You finish your pre-launch checks and I'll get back to you."

"Thanks, I'll do that. Should be ready in ..." Milliardo looked over at Wufei who signaled 20 minutes, "twenty minutes. Plus or minus."

"Great. That's going to put you right on the button. I'll open the outer doors now and you can taxi to the launch point. Clear space to you."

"Thanks. And same to you."

Milliardo grinned at Wufei and hoped it was going to be as easy as it looked.

It turned out that it was. They launched in exactly twenty minutes to the merry voice of control wishing them clear space and a good flight.

"Well, someone somewhere up there likes us. That was a piece of cake. Or am I counting chickens?"

Wufei shook his head, huffing when a lock got into one eye. "Piece of cake. We're far enough out already that they can't call us back. What are you looking at?"

Milliardo examined his readout again. "Not sure. Some sort of ghost. Probably a container barge."

"Oh. Forget about it. I'll set course for Mina Hurr."

Milliardo nodded. "Ok, and I'll get in touch with Winner and have him rent this boat for us."

Quatre was delighted, of course, and readily made the requested arrangements. They didn't talk long as the time lag was nearly ten minutes, but they agreed that they were going to have a long time to visit at Mina Hurr.

"Great, Milliardo, once we make it to Mina Hurr we're really home free. No extradition agreement with ESUN, I can finish my job, and we can find someplace we like."

"I can't wait. I feel, for the first time in a long time, that I'm really going to have a home."

"Me too."

They went back to their duties, happy to be off the medical station and on their way.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 13/14

Word count:

Rating: Mature

Betaed by rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Authors note: Not much of a real plot so much as just incidents in building a colony and how the boys handle them.

.

Quatre Raberba Winner couldn't help but grin at his friend and husband. They'd been married the second they'd entered Mina Hurr air space. His colony recognized same sex marriage and allowed the couples to enjoy all the rights and privileges of married couples.

"I need to get to my office and find out what's going on with Heero, Duo, Wufei and Milliardo. Where are they? How long will it take you to find out?"

Trowa smiled back. "Not long. Once we get to the office, I'll start a trace."

Quatre smiled happily. He'd have all his family around him soon. He discounted his sisters completely, as all most of them had ever been was a nuisance. He wondered idly when they'd realize that they couldn't run WEI, no matter what they thought. He hoped it was before they ran it into the ground. But, he reminded himself, he wasn't going to interfere, they had to learn for themselves.

"I'm going to start work on the proper management of this colony. I'm not going to have it built higgledy-piggledy, as Duo would say. Let me know when they're going to land so we can go greet them."

"Ok. I'll have both ships docked at the main dock. We'll need the size to dismount the Gundams."

Quatre gave Trowa a rather evil grin and they headed for the offices.

It didn't take long to find out that Duo and Heero were due within four days and Milliardo and Wufei the day after, or five days from today.

And so Trowa settled into his office and started doing his 'job'. He was Quatre's executive assistant as well as his lover and he was determined to do a good job. It wasn't easy, but it was interesting. He could pull off the cold faced look as well as Heero and, as he was tall, it was even more intimidating, or he liked to tell himself that. At least it was intimidating enough.

Trowa got in touch with the foreman in charge of assigning docking bays and made arrangements to have the Gundams off-loaded in the colony's main dock. All other cargo would have to be assigned other, less convenient, bays; but Trowa calmly told the executive that the Gundam **mobile** suits came first. The man grumbled a little but it seemed to be for appearances sake more than anything else. Trowa got his bay.

.

Duo checked the readouts again and frowned. "Heero, come look at this. I don't like it."

Heero glanced over Duo's shoulder, then fixed his gaze on the readout. His intensity nearly burned the print off the label. "Shadow, there." his finger touched the readout. "Not a barge. Looks like one at first glance."

"I know. We saw it two days ago, it disappeared, now it's back. What is it? What?" Duo mumbled off as he started running through the start up for the long distance sensors. Heero settled in his seat and started his own routine. They scanned and recorded for over 30 minutes but got nowhere. Duo cursed and swatted a switch.

"Damn! We've poked and prodded at that for half an hour. Nothing! In a petticoat. Fuck!"

Heero snarled his own frustration. "It looks like a ghost from a barge, but it's not following any path that a barge would normally take. So ... what the hell is it?"

"I don't know, lover. I'll set the systems to automatically record it for a while. But we've got course corrections to make and we better get with it."

"Right. I really don't fancy winding up in a permanent orbit around the sun." Heero turned to his computer and started the routine. It didn't take long for the numbers to pop up. "Ok, we need a three second burn at ..." Heero read off the numbers, then got a puzzled look on his face. "That doesn't seem right. Duo? Run these, will you?"

Duo transferred the raw data to his monitor and examined it quickly. "Something's wrong with the computers. Check them out, will you? I'll re-do the figures and do the correction manually."

Heero just grunted and went to work. He ran diagnostics on the programs and the hardware. What he found would make a nun swear, the computers were loaded with porno and trojans, viruses, and malware of all sorts. Someone had been downloading porno and gotten all the other stuff along with it. Heero slammed his fist down on the control panel, leaving a fist sized dent.

"Damn! I'm gonna fry someone for breakfast. The computers are completely unreliable, full of viruses and trojans. Absolutely unacceptable."

Duo just glanced over for a second. "Well, have a cow later, I need help right now. Start setting up the coordinates and burn times as I give them to you. I can't do both and get it right. This thing isn't a Gundam, you know."

Heero just sighed and got to work.

It took them ten minutes to do a job that should have taken only seconds. When they sat back, Heero absently keyed the button to send his data on the ghost to Mina Hurr before he started working on the computers. He wasn't sure he could get them clean before they needed to dock at Mina Hurr.

.

Wufei eyed his readout with a disgusted expression. "I see it again. What is it?"

Milliardo looked at the readout and frowned. "I'm not sure. It looks like a ghost, you know, one caused by an unmarked barge. But it's not in the usual lane. Odd. I'm not sure I like this."

Wufei tapped some keys and remarked idly. "I'll record it for a while, then send it to Mina Hurr. Wonder where Duo and Heero are?"

"Due to orbital variations we'll probably be a day behind them. They were headed for Mina Hurr, too. Right?"

"Ummm. They were. I've got a book I want to read, can I leave you here? Or would you rather I brought it back. Doesn't make any difference to me."

Milliardo knew which book Wufei was referring to but said, "I know you're going to stick your nose in that ... what is it? Law through the ages?" Wufei nodded with a rather sheepish expression. "Thought so. You'll disappear into that book and I'll have to shake you to get your attention. But bring it here, that way if I need you I just have to stretch out an arm."

Wufei snorted. "I hope I'm aware enough of my surroundings not to need that." But he smiled when he returned with his book.

.

A sub lieutenant in the central control office of Mina Hurr accepted two unusual recordings from unidentified sources, addressed to Mr. Q.R. Winner; not knowing what else to do with them he filed them, despite the Memo hanging right in front of his face that said to pass such things directly to Mr. Winner.

.

Duo did the count down while Heero did the docking check sheet. Despite Heero's best efforts the computers were still unreliable so they were going to have to dock on manual.

"Sheet complete. Check acceptable." Heero slid the clipboard into its holder.

"Count down to final burn commencing. At 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... 7" The auto pilot was shut off. "6 ... 5 ... 4 ..." Heero took his yolk back to his knees, positioned and ready in case Duo needed help. "3 ... 2 ... 1! Burn!"

The rumble of verners filled the cockpit. They were ready for rendezvous with the new colony.

Duo fired the braking verners and counted down the time. "Docking beginning in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2... 1! Dock!" Brakes screeched as the wheels made first contact with the deck plating. Heero braced himself to wrestle with the controls in case Duo couldn't manage by himself. The computers which should have helped with this were still down too.

Duo managed quite well on his own, to Heero's relief. He always felt like he was putting Duo down when he 'interfered' with his lover. Duo would have told him different, if he'd ever asked.

Duo taxied their shuttle to the back of the bay and started his shut down while Heero informed the crews that they could off load the Gundams at will.

While the crew was getting the Gundams off the shuttle and into their racks, Quatre and Trowa arrived to greet Heero and Duo.

Duo caught sight of them first and yelled, "Quat! Hi! Man, am I glad to see you," then hurried to give his friend a hug and a slap on the back. "Damn, talk about lucky. We got off that station just in time. Poor Wufei and Milliardo got served but we were already off and running. Sucks."

Quatre smirked at Duo, a rather evil expression from someone considered so sweet.

"Oh, Wufei went all psycho on them and Milliardo and he stole one of my shuttles and left too. They're about 36 hours behind you."

Duo frowned a bit, due to orbital considerations they shouldn't be that far behind, if Wufei and Milliardo had left soon after their own escape.

"How long did it take Wuffers to break down?"

"Almost three days." Quatre shook his head at that. "Talk about masochism."

Heero wrapped an arm around Duo's waist and entered with conversation with, "No, that's Milliardo's kink. Wufei is just too stubborn for his own good."

Duo snorted. "This from you?"

Trowa poked Duo in the ribs, making him flinch into Heero who glowered in mock menace. "Takes one to know one. Come on, we'll show you to your quarters."

Heero listened as Duo brought Quatre and Trowa up to speed on all the goings on at the medical station. Trowa was glad to see that Duo was up to his pre-injury strength. He and Quatre had been worried about their friend but, obviously, they hadn't needed to be.

Duo caught Quatre's mood and turned to him, a questioning look on his face. "Q? You ok? What's up?"

Quatre sighed, rubbed his face then erupted. "Damn it, Duo. We nearly lost you. You could have been paralyzed, you could have ..."

Duo grabbed him into a face-to-face hug, Heero cuddled up to his back at Duo's signal.

"Hush. It's ok. I'm fine, partially thanks to you. The rest, thanks to my superior good looks and such." Duo looked over Quatre's shoulder at Heero. " 'Ro, tell him."

Trowa added his long arms to the mix, encircling everyone in a tight hug. "Yeah, 'Ro you tell him. I've been telling him for the last four days. He's not hearing it."

Heero just swatted Quatre on the shoulder. "Stop! Now! That's enough. You can't control the universe, no matter how hard you try. Everything worked out fine. Be happy about that and quit ... um ... weeping over spilled cream?" Heero winked at Duo over Quatre's head.

Quatre snickered, said, "It's crying over spilled milk. Come on, I'll quit freaking out and show you your quarters." and started away.

Trowa draped an arm over Quatre's shoulders and ambled along beside him as they walked through the colony.

Duo and Heero looked around as they walked. The colony was obviously a work in progress, there were signs of construction everywhere. Stacks of materials half blocked some areas and the huge open area at the center of the ball was strung with supports and unidentified hanging objects. Duo shook his head.

"Q-ball, there's a lot of stuff going on and not in a good way."

Quatre sighed. "Oversight is sadly lacking here. I should have been **onsite** months ago but my sisters ... never mind that. I'm not going to point fingers and cast blame. We're here now and we're going to fix it."

Heero grinned, he liked Quatre's attitude. His analyst at the school had told him, "Move forward and don't look back. Learn from your past but don't let it weight you down." he intended to do exactly that. He hoped for great things and expected them.

Duo, watching Heero's profile, felt something inside him loosen and couldn't help a small smile of contentment.

Trowa noticed this and squeezed Quatre, nodding his head in their direction. Quatre didn't even look, he knew what had happened and was smugly pleased with himself.

Their walk took a little longer that it could have as they had to walk the whole way instead of taking any kind of transport. Quatre admitted that the colony wasn't far enough along to have started installation of any kind of public transport and they'd wanted to wait until Heero could complete a prospectus with recommendations on what kind to install.

Heero nodded his head, squeezed Duo's ribs and whispered in his ear. "You'll have to help me, I know you've got some really good ideas just from living on L2." Duo nodded, he did have some ideas, very definite ideas; especially of what not to do.

They finally reached their quarters and Quatre explained that this was his 'compound'. There was only one way in, for now, and it was easily closed off. This was to be their home from now on.

The entry way was a long hall with three heavy blast doors to close it off incase of an atmosphere accident. Just inside the last door was a vestibule with a large locker at one side which contained survival suits. There was also a place for them to put dirty clothing and boots. On through the vestibule was the first set of rooms which was made up of Quatre's office area; two large rooms, one the reception room with Trowa's desk then Quatre's office. There were also offices for all the other pilots which were similar to Quatre's, without any furniture so that they could arrange things to suit themselves. Quatre told them, on the way through, that they could hire secretaries for themselves or get someone from the colony pool.

At the end of that hall was a flight of stairs that led directly into the huge 'public' lounge; an area for all the pilots to share. This floor also contained a kitchen, dining room, library, game room and half bath. Another staircase situated between the lounge and the dining room led up another floor into a circular antechamber furnished with a few groupings of chairs, tables and cabinets filled with what Duo referred to as chachki. It would make a nice place to relax before bed.

The bedrooms were actually suits, very nice ones with a sitting room with a bedroom and bathroom behind it. Or they would be, when they were finished. Right now the walls were all bare and the furniture was military practical. Duo looked into their assigned rooms and snickered.

"What the hell happened? Why is the antechamber all snooty and this is just barely finished?"

Quatre laughed. "I caught my sister before she could get any farther. I'm not wasting resources on frills. We need it elsewhere. If you want better than what we've got, buy it yourself. Trowa and I did."

Heero nodded, understanding now why the lounge was nearly empty and the game room only had a Gundam Pilot game in it.

"I like it. We can get some different furniture later. What we've got will more that do for now."

Trowa cleared his throat. "Well, we'll leave you to get settled. It's 14:00 colony time. My suggestion is to take a nap to get your bio clock reset. Unless you're hungry. We could fix something to eat first."

Duo yawned. "I'm beat and I'm not hungry. Me for a nap. Heero?"

Heero laughed. "Me too. Nap sounds great. We could meet for supper, discuss office arrangements and duties then?"

Quatre smiled happily. "I'm so glad to see you guys. We'll eat dinner, then start figuring things out. Oh, almost forgot, Wufei and Milliardo. Do you think we should wait on them?"

Heero shook his head. "We should figure out what we're doing now. Less confusion that way. We'll know what we're doing and that leaves them to get sorted. Your attention won't be so divided."

They visited a bit more but Duo's yawning finally sent Quatre and Trowa on their way with promises of a tasty dinner later.

Dinner proved to be interesting to everyone. Heero told Quatre about the computers on the shuttle and Quatre composed a company wide memo right there and then, prohibiting anyone from downloading anything into a company computer without the written, email acceptable, permission of their IT tech.

Which led them to the discussion of what Duo and Heero's responsibilities were to be. Quatre blandly stated that they were the 'Hit Men', his personal trouble shooters. Duo couldn't help a little crow of delight, fist pump and 'Yeah!' Heero just smiled, a lot.

.

Wufei let Milliardo pilot the landing as he hated docking a shuttle, although he could do it competently. Milliardo docked with a skill that rivaled Duo or Heero, shut down the systems and called for suit crews to unload their suits.

Central control had told them to wait at the shuttle, Quatre and the others were going to come greet them. They'd been held up a bit but were on their way.

Milliardo led the way down the ramp and onto the deck. Wufei grumbled wearily about their suits but followed.

They were met at the bottom by a smiling young woman who announced, "You don't have crews yet, but we all know our way around a suit. We'll get them racked up and ready for you. You'll be picking crew?" Milliardo nodded. Wufei just waited.

They'd discussed this on the way here. Milliardo knew how to command a crew, Wufei didn't. Milliardo, due to his military training was, therefore, the logical person to handle the choice of crew and commanding them. Wufei was content to allow Milliardo to take it all over. He did and set the temporary crews to cleaning the suits and examining them for any needed adjustments.

Just as Milliardo finished giving his orders the other pilots entered the bay. None of them saw the picture that the waiting, spying construction workers did. Milliardo was the tallest by about 4 inches, then Trowa, after that Heero and Duo at about the same height, Quatre was the shortest of them but only by an inch. Grouped as they were, they made an impressive sight, lean, toned bodies gathered together in a laughing clump while giant mecha offloaded near by.

Milliardo eyed the progress of the off load, saw that the suits were racked and nodded to himself. The crews seemed competent enough and he was pleased with the arrangements.

"Quatre, can we keep the current crews or do we need to pick other people?"

Quatre turned to Milliardo with a smile. "You can keep the present people, if you like. I'd planned on letting you pick your own sooner or later."

"Unless Wufei has other plans, we should keep the current crews until or unless someone doesn't work out."

Quatre nodded and started for the internal door. "This way. We'll get you two settled and ... do you need a meal? Or some sleep?"

Wufei chose that moment to yawn widely. Milliardo smiled a bit wearily. "Sleep. Both of us. I'm just about at the end of my usefulness. We'll catch up later. Ok?"

The quick tour impressed Milliardo, Wufei just remarked that it was amazingly like the compound that he'd grown up in, without the garden. Quatre twinkled at Trowa who just sighed. They'd thought of something nice for everyone except Wufei. Heero had a complete computer workshop, while Duo had a mechanics bay that was full of all the best and newest equipment. Milliardo had a library of real books, not yet brought up. Trowa and Quatre had the kitchen as both of them loved to cook. Wufei, they'd had no idea what to get for, now they knew. And Milliardo would love the garden too as they could get starts off some of his orchids.

Duo waited until Wufei and Milliardo had examined their rooms, approved and announced they were going to sleep before cornering Quatre.

"Quat, you know I love everything about our new home but you forgot one thing."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"A dojo. We really need a dojo ... and a gym."

Quatre shook his head. "I didn't forget. It's just that we've already got way more luxuries than anyone else on the station. Almost everyone lives in dorms and eats in mess halls. The construction isn't far enough along to allow anything else. I decided that we should use the local gym."

Duo grinned. "Ok. I can see the sense in that. But, you know, the quarters are just going to make it easier for us to do our jobs. We'll be eating, sleeping and working at all kinds of odd hours. Shift work? What's that? Right?"

Quatre grimaced. "Exactly."

Heero, catching Duo's idea, announced that he needed a good workout. He also threw a significant glare at Trowa, who just smirked back.

Quatre agreed with them that they needed a good workout. He turned and started down the hall, in the wrong way.

Heero blocked him saying softly, "Wrong way, Winner."

Quatre blinked then moved to pass him. Heero got back in the way again.

"I said, wrong way. You're coming to the dojo with us."

"Um ... Heero, I don't have time. I need..." Quatre's puzzled look started to morph into annoyance.

"You need exercise just as much as anyone of us. Come on, don't be difficult."

Quatre put one hand on Heero's shoulder to move him out of the way, it didn't work. Heero just clasped that wrist in a loose grip.

Quatre pulled back and Heero let him, but he didn't let go, his hand went too. Quatre moved his hand again, jerking down sharply. Heero just followed along. Quatre grabbed Heero's wrist with the other hand and Heero snagged that hand in his other. Now they were face to face Heero grasping each of Quatre's wrists in his hands. Quatre pulled every trick he knew to get Heero to turn loose but Heero just followed along, letting go of a wrist if he thought he might hurt Quatre but catching it again quickly.

"Ok, ok. This is just silly. I give." Quatre sighed in annoyance.

"I'm glad. It is getting a bit silly. You're not getting me off you until you promise to come to the gym with us. You're not allowed to wear yourself out. You make mistakes when you're tired. You done being childish?"

Quatre snarled then gave up. "Oh, hell, why should I argue with you about doing something I really want to. Trowa? Will you get our bags please?"

Trowa started to turn but Duo's cheerful voice stopped him. "I got 'em. I went for them while Heero and Quatre were dancin'. Let's go."

So, they went. The walk didn't take very long as the gym was on the same corridor as Quatre's quarters, which everyone referred to as 'Command'.

Duo looked around, checking to see how far along the construction was. "Looks like this part of the colony is almost finished."

Quatre shrugged. "I wanted the quarters completed before anyone moved in. Safety first. Not like some places where they lost people because of atmo leaks. Not for me, thank you. This area will be re worked later into the more expensive residential area. Right now it's the only residential area."

Heero glanced around then asked, "How many workers are there?"

"About one hundred thousand. The main ball is complete and all the central docking bays. We're ready to start on the first ring but we've already run into problems. We'll discuss them later."

Heero just shrugged. "Ok. This the gym?"

Trowa opened the door and led the way inside announcing, "Yes, here we are. Locker room over there, check in desk here."

As they lined up to check in, Heero continued to keep an eye on things, something was bothering him but he couldn't figure it out. He decided the just let things take their natural course and deal as needed.

Quatre set his bag on the counter and handed the clerk his key card. "Establish accounts for Heero and Duo, please. I'm sure that Wufei and Milliardo will want memberships too." He glanced at Duo who just grinned and nodded.

Trowa poked Heero and whispered, "Quatre's carrying a load of tension, get Duo to spar with him."

Heero just grunted and headed for the locker room, the other's followed.

After changing into gi they headed out into the main part of the gym. It wasn't crowded but neither was it empty. There were enough machines for all of them to use one and the central area was clear except for a couple of men who were sparing half-heartedly.

Heero nodded to Duo, then stepped forward to lead them in some warm-ups. No one paid much attention to them until his voice rang out in the first counts of the warm up then heads turned. Not all of them friendly.

No one said anything though; it didn't seem very safe to challenge gundam pilots, nor their young boss. So they just watched, for now.

After the warm-up and some stretching, they paired off to spar; Duo with Quatre and Heero against Trowa. They moved to separate areas and the combat started.

The combat between Trowa and Heero was quickly over. Despite Trowa's gymnastic abilities and longer arms and legs, Heero had him in a choke hold in a matter of seconds. Trowa clapped out and Heero helped him up from his seat on the mat. They turned to watch Quatre and Duo instead of starting a second match.

As they watched all the observers realized that Quatre's experience was equal to Duo's and the fight was going to last a while. Right now Duo was pursuing Quatre around the mat, jabbing at him with quick flurries of punches and kicks. Quatre defended himself, displaying a level of expertise that proved he deserved his black belt.

Duo kept after him for a while, then found that Quatre had maneuvered him into a corner. Quatre's strategy had been to let Duo follow him until all he had to do was dart to one side and whirl around. The rules were that a step off the mats was a loss. Duo was cornered with nowhere to go but off the mat. Unless there was another way.

Duo squatted, jumped and flipped right over Quatre's head. He made a snatch at one of Duo's ankles but missed. Duo landed behind him and kicked him in the rear making him stumble very near the boundary line. Quatre managed to recover but just barely.

His counter attack was a ferocious series of punches, chops and kicks that drove Duo back into the middle of the mats. The cheering that erupted didn't distract them for a second, fighting in the middle of massed Mecha had taken care of that problem before either one of them was 16.

The fight surged back and forth across the mats with first Duo then Quatre on the attack. Heero watched carefully and realized that Duo and Quatre were well matched. Neither one was going to get the upper hand anytime soon. Trowa, of the same opinion, decided to try to give one or the other an advantage. He disappeared into the back and came out again with a scythe and two shotels. He just stood at the side, waiting for one of them to notice.

Duo noticed first but his start of recognition alerted Quatre who was closer to Trowa. He made it to his shotels before Duo got his scythe, by all of a second. This was just enough time to allow him to get away from Duo.

They both knew that the practice weapons weren't going to do them any harm. All they did was leave blue marks in washable ink. They also buzzed like the real electronic weapons did. Duo's scythe hummed like a hive of angry giant bees and Quatre's shotels crackled with the sound of overheated metal.

The sizzle and crack of the scythe hitting Quatre's crossed shotels was startling in the sudden silence. Quatre pulled the shotels away from each other, trying to trap the hame of the scythe between them. Duo pulled back on the hame but Quatre ducked under the grips of his swords and spun, trapping Duo even tighter.

Duo gave up on pulling away and instead, let Quatre pull him into a back-to-back spin that allowed him to keep his grip on his weapon. Quatre pulled hard on his shotels and flipped Duo over his back, still trying to break Duo's grip. This only allowed Duo to complete the flip on his own terms and get away from Quatre's grip. They jockeyed for position for a few more seconds then Duo's longer reach and leverage advantage put Quatre out of the fight. Duo managed to get Quatre out of his arms reach just enough to cut his throat with his scythe. The blue ink was startlingly dark against the fair skin.

Quatre stepped back laughing a bit maniacally. "Well, that was nice. Duo, you're as good as ever. Damn, I miss this."

"Well, you don't have to miss it anymore. I'll give you a match anytime you want. Why don't you work out with Trowa more?"

"Sisters. And, we've only just got here. I haven't had time to set up a real schedule yet."

Duo handed his scythe to a waiting attendant. "Thanks, man. The first thing you should have done is have Trowa set up one. Heero?" Heero handed him a towel. "Thanks. We need to all be on a schedule, even if we don't stick to it. That way we have some basis of reference. I learned that from G."

Heero nodded. "Dr. J said the same thing. We had a good talk about setting up what we do but no conversation about when. I've got the security and computer end of things. Duo's sharing security with me and trouble shooting mechanical problems. Wufei is still on the legal end. Milliardo is ... what?"

Quatre smiled. "What we'll call a general contractor. He's getting all the complaints and he'll be the one who sends you guys to fix it. He's also still in charge of all publicity. I think he also wants command of the suits. That leaves me to head the day to day construction and deal with materials acquisition and all that."

Heero smiled at Trowa who just grinned in general. Then they were somewhat overwhelmed by all the people who wanted to talk to them about the match. Heero moved closer to Duo but managed to speak to everyone who wanted to speak to him. Duo was in his element, chattering away to anyone and everyone. Trowa handled himself with the aplomb he'd learned with the circus while Quatre remained dignifiedly approachable.

They spent nearly an hour just talking to people. Quatre was relieved to find that most of them seemed much more at ease with him than before their match.

After the last of the observers had faded away, they went to the machines and finished their workout, took showers and went back to the residence.

They arrived to find that Wufei and Milliardo were still asleep so Duo shut the door again and slipped back downstairs to the kitchen to inform the others.

An hour later both Milliardo and Wufei descended to the kitchen. Wufei demanding tea and Milliardo looking for coffee.

Duo cheerfully handed Milliardo coffee while Heero started water boiling for tea. Wufei gave his empty cup a dismal glare, then turned it on Milliardo, who was already sipping his coffee.

Trowa, his back to everyone, continued to work on breakfast for the two and lunch for everyone else. Not that that was a hardship as omelets for lunch wasn't objectionable to any of them. So he had chopped, grated and sliced his way through all the filling ingredients while they waited for Wufei and Milliardo to wake up. Heero had helped by hand washing the dirty prep equipment and Duo had helped by staying out of the way and setting the table. He was good in a kitchen but seemed to need the whole thing to himself and he didn't like cooking much. Quatre had retreated to his office for a little while, to set things in motion with the various departments, getting the other's jobs online. He'd already made the arrangements and only had to notify people that the pilots were taking up their jobs. He smiled to himself as things were falling into place nicely.

Milliardo and Wufei wound up on one side of the table with Duo and Heero on the other; Quatre took the foot of the table, the end away from the stove and Trowa the head. He delivered omelets to everyone containing their favorite ingredients.

As they settled down to eat, Quatre started explaining to everyone the final arrangements he'd made for them. Duo just grinned at Heero as he'd already given his opinion that Quatre had arrangements made for months and was only waiting for them to be available. As Quatre talked, Heero just pulled a bill from his pocket and handed it to Duo. Duo smirked in satisfaction, took the bill and turned his attention back to Quatre.

Milliardo heartily approved of the arrangements made for him, announcing that the PR would only take a couple of hours a week, if that. He was going to set up a team and only handle the emergencies, the team would handle day to day publicity with his supervision, very loose supervision. He was going to set up guidelines and anyone who violated them was fired on the spot. His supervision of the gundam teams was going to be hands on. Heero grunted his approval while the others all nodded.

Wufei found that Quatre had some general ideas of colony laws and told him that his notes were all downloaded into his office computer for his perusal. Wufei nodded and agreed that they needed to have a meeting, later, about what Quatre expected. Wufei's first draft was on Quatre's desk but there were already problems. It seemed that the legal team that Wufei had been working with had added some things and removed others. Wufei was not happy nor was Quatre.

And there was also the fact that all of them needed to work with their gundams. None of them liked the idea that the colony was actually defenseless at this time. The defensive ring wasn't even really on the drawing boards yet. It left them all feeling very exposed.

They finished their meal on a high note with Quatre cheerfully telling them that they could decorate their offices anyway they wanted, as long as they paid for it themselves. And have anyone to work for them they liked, as long as they were already on the station.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Building a New Life

Chapter: 14/14

Word count: 6771

Rating: Mature

Betaed by; rogue53

Warnings: Lemons, fighting, blood, explosions, swearing, slight kink. Nothing else.

Parings: 1X2, 3X4, 5X6. Relena as friend to all the boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to Gundam Wing. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However, this story does belong to me. Please don't snitch it.

Summary: Sequel to The Price They Paid – The Pilots fought for peace for the Colonies and the Earth. With peace and the freedom to begin new lives they now are faced with new threats, not from politicians, but from the hard, cold space around them and the men and women they work with. Construction work is dangerous and the people involved in colonial construction are hardened and rambunctious. Building a colony is not at all like building a city. As the boys are about to find out.

Authors note: Not much of a real plot so much as just incidents in building a colony and how the boys handle them.

.

A dull thud woke Duo. He lay there in the darkness trying to figure out what it was. Another thud shook the bed.

"Heero?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell?" Duo got up and reached for his clothing, accidentally grabbing Heero's wrist in the process. "Sorry."

"Might not have been such a good idea to pile our clothing together." Heero quickly tossed the too small t-shirt to Duo.

They quickly sorted out their clothing and got dressed, during which there were four more dull thuds. Heero paused to listen to all of them.

Duo looked at him, then asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, insertion bombs." Insertion bombs were used to breach the skin of a colony to allow invasion. The Alliance had used them several times. This was incredibly dangerous as the breach could cause a rupture if it wasn't sealed in time. Usually the Alliance or White Fang had sealed the breach with an access tube attached to a ship then they'd send in the mobile suits.

"Fuck. We better get to our gundams. Now."

"Right."

They headed out the door and nearly ran into Quatre, Trowa and Wufei. Heero glanced around and demanded, "Where's Milliardo?"

Wufei snapped, "He was restless so he went down to the docking bay to check on our suits."

Quatre just headed for the door with Trowa right behind him, Heero followed with Duo pacing Wufei.

"What's wrong, besides the obvious?"

"Not sure. Who is it and what do they want? Why ..."

Duo grabbed Wufei by one wrist and dragged him along. "Don't know, don't care. Kill now, ask questions later. Move it."

Wufei gave up and ran.

They charged down the corridor with people plastering themselves against the walls to get out of their way. The trip through the main ball was easier as someone realized who they were and word seemed to flash through the walkways at the speed of lightning. They hit the bay at a hard trot and found that Milliardo had been in the bay when the attack started so the suits were powered up and crews had already put out their vacuum suits and helmets.

Each pilot ran to the feet of their machine and found a crew waiting there to help them into their suits. They all stripped down without thought and were quickly powdered and crammed into the skin tight under suit that protected them from chaffing. The vacuum suits followed just as quickly, helmets fastened and gloves tugged on. It took five minutes for the crews to get all six pilots from civvies to suits and into their mecha.

As the pilots took the zip lines up to their cockpits there was another thump. Heero winced, two or three more attacks and whoever it was would succeed in breaking the skin.

The launch sleds hadn't been installed yet so the only way to launch was to just run to the lip of the open bay doors and jump into space. They launched one after the other, careful to wait to fire their main jets until they were clear of both the station and each other. It wouldn't do to put one of their own out of commission or burn a hole in the skin of the colony they were trying to save.

They swept off on slightly different trajectories, scanners on, trying to locate the area of attack. There were a few places that were better targets than others, so they swept them first.

They found the invaders attack point rather quickly. They were attacking an area near the main docks that was comprised mostly of warehousing. Duo swore and yelled, "Fuck me! Damn it, that's our ghost. I'll bet my best bomb on it."

Quatre snarled, "And no one thought to tell me about that?"

Heero replied as he mounted his buster rifles, "We sent a copy of our scans."

Milliardo seconded that remark, then they all shut down everything but vital communications. From that moment on all communications would go through a combat command so that no one walked on anyone else and they could all hear what was going on.

Command sent orders that Milliardo and Wufei should use their weapons to try to pry the pod off the skin of the colony. Wufei activated his dragon fang and Milliardo his new grapple and latched on to the pod. Duo turned on his cloaking device to hide himself and his hyper jammers to shut down communications between the main ship and; not only the pod but the suits of the pirates.

The pirates were armed with four squadrons, two each of Taurus and Aries suits, which were in decent shape. The mother ship had disgorged them as well as the attack pod, then drawn away to give the suits room to maneuver.

Command made a quick query to make sure that Duo's jammers hadn't jammed their communications too; it hadn't, so orders went out that each pilot was to engage at will.

And engage they did. Milliardo and Wufei attacked the pod with everything they had. Quatre joined them, cutting at the attaching grapples with his shotels. Heero braced his suit with his verniers and blasted away with his rifle, doing his best to pick off a swarm of mobile dolls like remote controlled balls which had attacked by disgorging clouds of mini-bombs.

This left Duo and Trowa to fight off the advances of the pirate suits by themselves. Duo knew that they both had a limited amount of charge in their rifles and Trowa's gatling guns and cannon were also limited. He'd run out of ammo on more than one occasion.

Duo reacted to the problem with typical exuberance, he charged up his scythe and yelled over the public channels, "Ok, mother fucker's, Shinigami's back from hell and I've got a serving of hellfire for you! Come on, asshole's I'm waitin'!" He hit his main verniers and dived right into the middle of a full squadron. Trowa grimaced and followed.

The resultant combat was a confusing melee in which Trowa shot anything that wasn't Duo and Duo cut anything that wasn't Trowa. They were nearly overwhelmed several times but Duo fought like a maniac, screaming and swearing, and Trowa concentrated on destroying the suits farther away. Duo's close in work kept the massed opponents from getting to him.

Trowa snarled as he realized that he was out of ammo. That was the only real problem with Heavyarms, it was an ammo hog. He prepared to draw his new vibro knife and defend himself as best he could. Command had other ideas and called him back to resupply. He started to argue but the next order shut him up. Heero was ordered to join Duo as all the remotes seemed to be destroyed.

Heero bellowed a war cry over the public channel and started picking off suits that were hanging back. His rifles were perfectly capable of reaching to the mother ship itself and he marched his fire from the outskirts of the battle right to the ship. He wasn't sure his rifle was powerful enough to hole the ship but he was sure he was going to try.

While Heero and Duo were duking it out with the suits Quatre and Wufei were still wrestling with the pod stuck to the side of the colony. Milliardo had had to turn and defend them from the attacks of suits that had gotten by the defenders. His double beam sabers cut swathes through the titanium skins easily, he wasn't worried about anything other than being overwhelmed and physically restrained. He fought silently, as always, but he kept an ear for Wufei.

Wufei had never kept his com open when in battle before but command had ordered it so he did. He swore in a mixture of Taiwanese, Mandarin and English, but softly, as if he didn't even realize that he was vocalizing at all.

And he talked to things. Right now he was still trying to pry a grapple loose.

"Ai-yah! Evil thing. Come off! Off, I say. Damn you for a stubborn camels ass." There was no laughing from command, only a fierce hope that he and Quatre succeeded. Wufei managed to pull the grapple off finally. His exclamation of satisfaction made everyone on the colony cheer.

There was no way the combat could be hidden from the residents of the colony and no one even tried. The order for everyone to don their vacuum suits had gone out as soon as command was sure that it was really a pirate attack so the entire population of the colony knew what was going on. Some had gained positions at the windows, others were watching on various vid screens but they all were braced for the worst. Their only defense was the six Neo-gundam suits.

Trowa entered the bay and demanded to be re-supplied. There was a huge scramble as the crews struggled to get his various guns supplied with fresh ammo. Since he was the only pilot on deck, all the crews worked on getting the job done as quickly as possible. He was impatient to return to combat but com told him that it was going to take at least fifteen minutes no matter how fast they moved. He snarled and slammed his torso back into the seat in fury. He needed to be out there, now!

Duo cut and slashed and hacked at anything that got near him. Shinigami was in full control, but Duo was well aware of exactly who and what he was attacking. The Taurus and Aries suits were still Alliance/White Fang standard paint jobs and conformation so there was no mistaking them for one of his allies. He let out a howl of fury as he was surrounded by Taurus suits. No way were they getting within reach of him. All they were armed with now were beam sabers which were no match for his double bladed beam scythe. He whirled and slashed at one suit in particular, the antenna array on its headpiece marked it as an officers suit.

"Come here you cock-sucking ass-licker, I want you so bad. You're dead in space and you don't know it. Waaa-hoooo! Done deal."

The colony cheered as Duo cut the command suit in half, right through the pilots module. The pilots dying scream echoed for a moment then was cut off as his suit failed.

While the pilots were battling furiously outside, the colonists weren't just standing around, some of them had stationed themselves in the warehousing that the pirates were trying to hole. They were going to defend themselves from invasion or die trying. If the pirates got in the colony there was no telling what they might do besides steal everything they could lay hands on. Besides, all the supplies in the warehouse were needed by the colony, why should anyone just wander in and help themselves without opposition? As to weapons, a welder could cut as well as weld, couldn't it?

When Quatre realized that he could get the blade of his shotel between the huge cable of a grapple and the skin of the colony without damaging the skin he started cutting them more quickly. The only problem was that there was one every ten feet all the way around it and it was as big as a football field. He started cutting as quickly as he could, Wufei helped by using his dragon fang to pull the pod away from the skin as much as he could. The gap was getting wider, but not very quickly.

As they pulled the pod away from the skin it was apparent that the pirates hadn't managed to breach the skin yet. There was a massive crater in the skin which was blackened and blistered but no hole. Now that they'd gotten the pod pulled away to this angle there was little chance either, another cheer echoed through the colony.

Still more cheering rose up when the massed construction suits arrived at the pod, boiling out of a nearby loading dock like ants on a sandwich. Someone had split the suits into groups and each group hurried to a grapple. They immediately attacked them with cutting torches.

It wasn't long before Milliardo and Quatre pulled the pod off the skin, careful not to dislodge any of the construction suits. Wufei used his grapples to throw the pod like a hammer. It flipped over as he did so and Milliardo got a good shot at its tender underbelly. It exploded on the third shot from his buster rifle, throwing debris and bodies far and wide. A few suits also emerged from the blast and attacked at once.

Trowa was rearmed by now and burst onto the scene with a bang, literally. He roared out of the shadow of the main bay door and started picking off the suits that had emerged from the pod. Heero was still concentrating on the mother ship and keeping suits from flanking Duo. Duo was concentrating on total destruction.

Now that the pod was destroyed, all the pilots concentrated on either the suits or the mother ship. Heero and Milliardo teamed up to try to pierce the skin and hole the ship. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Duo took on the job of protecting Heero and Milliardo. In different ways. Quatre and Trowa stationed themselves near by and kept suits from getting to them. Duo and Wufei took a more active stance and went out on a search and destroy that included anything not them.

Heero poured all Wing's considerable power into one buster rifle and picked a spot on the ship that he thought was over the reactors. Milliardo picked his spot too, his target was the engines themselves. As they blasted away, the skin in those areas started to glow more and more red.

Duo continued to howl, scream and curse. He also continued to devastate his opponents.

Quatre drew his shotels again and waded into a cluster of Aries suits and started the whirling, slashing dance of death that only he could perform. Duo was side by side with him, slashing and hacking with his scythe, leaving green after images on all the screens.

It didn't take them long to finish off the last of the suits, then retreat to join Milliardo, Heero, Trowa, and Wufei. They all hung in space and those who still had any ammo or ergs, bombarded the mother ship with everything they had. Finally, it gave up and exploded rather spectacularly, scattering debris everywhere.

Duo did a dance of victory and shot toward the bay doors, yelling madly. Wufei just sighed and followed him. Heero tacked himself on behind Wufei and was followed by Milliardo, Quatre, and Trowa, in that order.

The suit crews were lined up ready to get them racked and help the pilots shed their vacuum suits.

Heero tumbled out first by simply jumping from the door of his pilots module down to the deck, Wufei was only seconds behind him. Milliardo, Trowa and Quatre took the ziplines down but didn't do more than order the crews to stand back. If Duo was in Shinigami mode, it was quite possible that he wouldn't recognize that the crew was friendly.

Duo went through his shut down himself, unlike the others, who had left the tedious process to their crews. When he slid down the zipline he seemed calm but everyone waited, eyeing him carefully.

Duo eyed them back for a second then demanded, "What!? I'm ok. Really, I got my head together during shutdown. It always works, if people will leave me alone. Wufei?"

Wufei bowed, keeping his eyes on Duo politely. "My apologies. We merely hoped to avoid ... unpleasantness."

Duo shrugged. "Don't apologize then. That's good of you. Now ... can someone get me out of this thing. I'm all sweaty." His plaintive tone of voice made everyone relax and laugh.

But his crew noticed that he was twitchy as they removed his suit. When they got him down to his skin suit, he was worse. Finally, Dan, his suit tech, went to speak to Heero.

Heero nodded. "I'll go as soon as I have something on besides this." He waved a hand at himself. He was dressed in nothing but shorts. One of his crewmen hurried to hand him a robe which he pulled on with a grunt.

Duo was starting to shiver and everyone knew that this wasn't good. Heero spoke Duo's name then put his arms around him.

"Take it easy. It's ok. I've got you." Heero took the robe from Duo's crewman and helped him into it. "Come on. I need a hot shower, what about you?"

Duo sighed. "I'd love a good hot shower. Think you can manage?"

Quatre laughed lightly. "Duo, we can have all the hot water we want. That's one of the first things I saw to, proper bathing facilities. All we have to do is go down the hall a bit. Are you ok?"

Duo managed a rather wan and watery smile. "No, I don't think I really am. All those people ... just ... gone. I don't like it."

Heero hugged Duo, then pushed him away, rubbing up and down his arms. "I don't really either. But it's not like we went out to find them. They attacked us first. Now, come on, shower." He pulled gently at Duo's hand.

All the crew's knew something was wrong so they tended to their business and kept a weather eye on Duo. They all relaxed as the whole group closed in around him and walked out the small side door that led directly into a small sick bay, shower room and office. A small medical team was on standby there and approached slowly when they came in the door.

This team was made up of medics who were used to working on suit pilots and could be counted on not to make a wrong move at the right time. No one wanted an adrenaline sparked incident which included death or dismemberment of a med team.

Duo nodded to the head of the team. "I'm ok for a quick exam but make it really quick. I think I'm ... shocky? Don't know, just really tired and cold."

A medic just looked at him for a moment, then said, "They should all have standard exams. This way." He led the way into the sick bay and pointed to six exam tables. "Up, all of you." At Duo's suspicious glare he shrugged. "You're the only two who've never had one. Field Marshal Peacecraft had one after every battle. I think Barton, Chang and I know Winner, all had them when possible. It'll take fifteen minutes hooked up to sensors. Then you shower, get a massage, a hot meal and get sent off to bed like good little boys."

Duo noticed the twinkle in the man's eye and snorted. "I haven't been a good little boy since ... well, forever. But a massage sounds nice. Heero?"

Heero grunted, then just hoisted himself onto the examination table, remarking, "I had exams when I was training. Didn't care for them much."

A female tech remarked, as she wheeled a mobile med station near, "Well, this won't take long. You'll barely notice it. All we do is stick patches here and there and watch the pretty lines form. There ..." She started sticking things here and there on Heero's torso. Heero endured it with a comic, long suffering expression on his face.

Duo settled on his table and also allowed the touching. He cracked a few strained jokes then settled quietly, the others also climbed onto a table and either asked questions [Wufei], remained silent [Trowa] or visited politely [Quatre and Milliardo]. They all realized that they'd dodged more than one bullet that day.

Milliardo let 'what if's' drift through his mind as he tried to relax on the table. It wasn't easy as the table was cold and hard and the sensors tugged at his body hair. He finally managed just as the test was over. He looked from one side to the other and realized that he was the first done as he'd just picked the table nearest to him and gotten on it.

He stood, stretched and went to check on Heero. His first glance had been for Wufei, of course, Wufei's nod had reassured him that everything was well with his lover so he'd gone to the one he thought would be done next. Heero was almost done. Duo was, and was already helping pull the sensor patches off his chest. Trowa was watching Quatre who was watching him back. Milliardo smirked at Trowa who just raised an eyebrow. Everything seemed fine with them so Milliardo looked at Duo more closely. He was pale but had stopped shivering.

"Duo?" Milliardo held his gaze for a second, Duo's eyes held his easily. "Cold?"

"Yeah, I'm always cold after a battle and hungry. Can we eat soon?"

Heero snorted softly. "As soon as we don't stink anymore. I'm not eating while I smell of..." He sniffed one armpit. "Me. Ugh!"

Duo snickered a bit weakly and everyone relaxed. He was going to be fine now all they had to do was get clean. Then food.

Heero looked up as one of the med tech's approached him. "Um ... Sir? Mr ... I mean Field Marshall Maxwell's tests are all good. I just ... I remembered that he'd been injured and I though you might be extra worried about him. But he's fine. Sir."

Heero realized that his after battle glare was probably making the man nervous so he damped it down to what Duo referred to as his low BTU glower. "Thank you. I was a bit concerned as he does tend to ignore things during a fight." The tech saluted and hurried away.

After the last sensor patch was removed from Quatre, the last one to finish his examination, they all put their robes back on. Quatre led them on to the baths.

They weren't the standard military communal showers. Each pilot had his own stall equipped with multiple shower heads and his preferred toiletries. Quatre had even seen that the construction suit operators had some extra luxuries as well.

Now they were showering, ridding their bodies of sweat and powder. And their minds of grief and regrets.

Duo wrapped a towel around his waist. He'd taken his braid down and washed it, now he was attempting to get tangles out of it and stop shaking at the same time. It wasn't working very well.

Milliardo, on the other hand, had braided his hair easily but was having trouble getting his shirt buttoned.

Heero washed every finger and toe with scrupulous care.

Trowa felt off balance until he'd checked to see where everyone else was.

Wufei, Trowa found, was sitting cross-legged under the pouring warm water, meditating.

Quatre settled on mothering the hell out of everyone.

None of them were unaffected by the combat, no matter what public face they tried to assume.

Quatre started his mothering by declaring, "Now that everyone is clean, we'll have a massage so we don't get stiff."

There was a bit of grumbling, especially from Milliardo, who had just gotten his shirt buttoned crookedly and was unbuttoning it to try again. Duo snorted but got up from the bench he was seated on.

Heero looped his arm over Duo's shoulders and started out the door. Quatre tugged Trowa along behind them while Wufei and Milliardo followed behind. No one commented on the fact that Wufei's arm around Milliardo's waist was looking more than a bit clingy while Milliardo's arm around Wufei's shoulders definitely was.

Quatre sighed, he knew he was mother henning but he couldn't help it. Then he realized that the others needed the fussing just as much as he needed to fuss. He smiled up at Trowa and asked, "Ok?"

"Getting there. Massage?"

"Shut up, it's good for you."

Duo chimed in with, "So's caster oil, don't see me enjoying that much."

Heero sighed, "Shut it, you. You'll be all stiff and bitchy."

Duo cackled softly, his laugh still a bit forced. "No, that's you."

Wufei grunted, "Heero's bitchy, I'm stiff."

Milliardo poked Wufei in the ribs. "Not either. Just very proper."

Their banter carried them to the masseuses area which was just off the shower room in an area which contained all sorts of massage tables, whirlpool baths and other equipment intended to relieve sprains, strains and bruising. It was identical to one that a professional sports team would have.

The masseurs descended on them and helpfully pealed them out of clothing and got them into robes again. All the pilots were coaxed onto massage tables and the robes removed again. Duo grumbled, "Jasus on a pogo-stick, make up your damn minds. Put on robes, take them off, put them on again. Fuck!"

No one seemed too upset with Duo's fussing, the masseurs expected them all to be a bit on edge. That was one of the reasons for the massage, to help them calm down. It was always a toss up, which was better, to address the combat induced exhaustion or ignore it. And it wasn't any use to try to figure it out by personality, people reacted differently to each battle.

All these young men suffered from PTSD in one form or another. They were all getting all the help they needed but it was a long process and having to return to battle surely wasn't helping any. There was a team of therapists waiting incase they were needed.

Quatre knew that nothing was going to help them more than time but little attentions after battle were sure to help some. Thus, the massages and the nice dinner he had planned.

All the pilots enjoyed their massages and the relaxation they induced. Two of the masseurs recommended whirlpools for their pilots and it was agreed that they should all have one on general principles.

The masseur who was taking care of Duo had felt a great deal of tension in his back and wanted him to stay in the bath for ten minutes with a jet on each side if his spine in the lumbar region. Heero decided to stay with Duo so they wound up head to toe in the same bath. Heero had jets directed at his thighs, which always hurt after a battle, Wings leg controls required a lot of force to activate.

Milliardo was a bit worried about Wufei, he still seemed very stiff and Milliardo was worried that he'd be sore if something wasn't done. Wufei sighed, "Ow! I haven't been in a real battle, or even in a suit in ... longer than I want to think. I'm sorry, Milliardo, but even that massage didn't do the trick."

A masseur poured something into the tub and told Milliardo. "Help him into that. Between the solution and the jets, he should be fine. If not, I'll have another go at him before you leave for dinner. Talk to him. That stiffness is more in his mind than in his body. I can tell, you know?"

Milliardo nodded. "Of course. I'll see what I can do." So he slipped into the tub behind Wufei and started talking him down. It was helping him as well, just debriefing had always helped.

Neither Quatre nor Trowa really needed anything so Quatre remarked that he would take this time to make sure that their food was being prepared. They left to go to the dinning room to check on the preparations. Trowa gave the other four a slight smile as they left, causing Duo to snicker and the other three to just raise eyebrows.

Duo and Wufei both admitted that they felt much better after about 10 minutes. They stayed in for almost thirty though as both their masseurs wanted them to get the full benefit of the treatment. Heero was also feeling better than he ever had after such a fight.

Quatre's attempt to check on preparations for dinner was met with cheerful teasing by the servers. They had already gotten everything ready for a nice dinner and were only waiting to find out how long before they needed to start service.

"What are you offering?" Quatre eyed the table curiously. It was round with chairs for each pilot arranged around it.

"We thought it would be better to offer shabu-shabu, sushi, and sukiyaki. That way everything will be freshly cooked and nice. I'm going to check on the rice, if you need anything, call me." The lady who was head chief smiled and walked away to check on her rice. And a few other things.

Quatre smiled at Trowa who grinned back. Everyone, it seemed, knew of the groups love of Japanese food. Milliardo had to admit that he did love a good steak but that was much too heavy for now. The foods on offer were nourishing without being particularly heavy.

Heero led the small group into the room, speaking over his shoulder to Duo. He stepped aside to let Wufei and Milliardo in and glanced at the table. All the servers were pleased when his face lit up with happiness. He was particularly fond of Shabu-shabu.

Duo crowed, "Oh, boy, food! Beautiful food! Come on, guys." He hurried to take a place at the table, dragging Heero after him.

Milliardo laughed and they all seated themselves. The shabu-shabu was first. Hot beef broth simmered gently in the pot in the middle of the table. Heero speared a piece of thinly sliced beef on his fork and dropped it into the bubbling pot. Duo added his own fork of mushrooms and onion. And so it went. Each pilot added a fork of something and cooked bits were removed, dipped in various sauces and eaten along with rice. Bits were shared and especially favored things squabbled over genially. At the end of this part of the meal, the broth, now flavored by the things cooked in it, was shared around. The remainder was returned to the kitchens as the sushi was brought out.

The sushi was arranged on large platters and plates were brought for each pilot.

The center of the table turned out to be a turn table, all the platters were set there as well as the soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger or sushoga. Heero and Duo took turns feeding each other as did Trowa and Quatre. Wufei just couldn't bring himself to allow that but Milliardo didn't mind as he found it too silly and juvenile for him.

They enjoyed the sushi, spinning the middle of the table back and forth, bringing the various types within reach.

It didn't take them long to finish this course and sit back to drink tea until the sukiyaki was ready.

The last course, the sukiyaki, was brought to the table in individual cast iron pots, with more rice in small bowls. Heero picked out some tofu from his pot and nibbled at it. He was beginning to get full, something he'd never experienced after a mission before. Usually he'd had to make do with cold, emergency rations or an energy bar. This was far better.

Wufei also did nothing but nibble at his last dish. He remarked to Quatre that, while it was very good, he didn't want to be over full. He satisfied the last of his hunger by picking out the beef and eating it.

Milliardo asked him why he did that and he replied, "I'd never be so disrespectful as to waste meat. Some animal gave its life so that I can eat." Milliardo nodded gently, then returned to his meal, picking out the meat first before eating anything else.

Wufei's remark didn't put a damper on the festivities, it just reminded them that they were lucky to be alive so they should celebrate it. And Celebrate they did. Not in a rowdy display but just quietly, eating and drinking talking softly of whatever entered their minds.

The servers were soft footed and skillful. They kept their intrusions to a minimum, switching empty rice bowls for full and filling tea cups.

They finished their meal in quiet companionability and the table was cleared for the last time.

"I think we should all return to quarters and rest."

Milliardo looked up when Quatre said this. He'd been wondering about something and decided that he wasn't going to be able to rest until he knew the answer.

"What about the construction suit operators? How are they? Where ..." Milliardo stopped talking as Quatre moved to pat him on the arm.

"They're fine. They all have facilities similar to ours, only bigger. I was going to have us use one of theirs until one of the therapists said that wasn't such a good idea. What with our hot buttons and all. But I'll send one of my other aides to make sure of them if it would make you feel better."

Milliardo nodded. "I know I'm acting like an old woman but ... I feel like they are part of my new command and I need to know that they are being taken care of or I won't be able to rest."

Quatre just shrugged, he'd already had a report, whispered in his ear during the sushi, but he respected Milliardo's attitude. He turned just in time to take a handheld from the service coordinator. He handed it over to Milliardo without comment.

Milliardo examined the readout and smiled, there was a breakdown of what was being done for all the construction suit operators who had engaged the pod. No one was badly hurt, just a list of sprains, strains and one broken arm. He wondered at that but didn't pursue it as the person was being taken care of by doctors. He handed the handheld back to the hovering coordinator, thanked him and felt the vague unease he'd been feeling disappear.

Heero nudged Duo who turned to watch Milliardo. They both noticed Wufei's pleased smirk. Milliardo was back in his true role, a commander of troops. He was a royal, after all, and well used to command. Quatre knew that his idea to put Milliardo in charge of the gundams was going to work out well.

Trowa had taken over arrangements while Quatre and Milliardo were involved and now they were on their way again. This time, to their quarters, the High Seat.

Trowa tapped Heero on the shoulder and motioned with his head. Duo felt Heero glance over his shoulder and gladly followed Heero as he started for the door. Wufei, seeing the two move out of the corner of his eye, just tugged at Milliardo's sleeve. Milliardo, realizing that all his duties were fulfilled, put an arm around Wufei and followed Quatre, who had gone to Trowa.

They all walked out that door and into something that they had never experienced or expected to. There was a wall of faces, surrounding the walk to their quarters. Smiling faces, happy to see them. People lined the walk, just there to call out their thanks.

Duo squeaked in alarm, a very girlish sound that he'd deny to his dying day. Heero glowered furiously. The others, just far enough behind that they hadn't seen yet, crowed up to find out what was going on. This resulted in a cheer that echoed around the huge open space of the ball and made all the pilots startle.

Milliardo forced himself gently to the front. He held up a hand and everyone in the crowd quieted to hear him.

"Thank you. Thank you all. If there are any reporters here, please step to the front so that your feed will be clear." He waited a moment, until the crowd had allowed camera crews to the front. "I'm not sure what you know about what has been going on. I'll leave it to the anchormen and women to handle that. All I have to say is that we have repelled the boarders with a lot of help from construction suit operators. They deserve as much credit as we do, maybe more. They entered space, into heated combat, in suits that were never meant for combat and did what they needed to do. I'm sure there were other people who did other things just as brave."

Someone shouted from the crowd, "Yeah, but no one got into an experimental Neo-Gundam and went out to attack two hundred suits, a mothership and an attack pod. There were only six of you. You're incredible. Thanks."

Duo couldn't help himself, he whispered to Heero, "Yeah, and the last time I tried to defend a colony they tried to execute me. This is much better." Someone with a directional amplified microphone dish picked that up and broadcast it all over.

Heero just snorted.

Milliardo just bowed slightly. "And we'll do it again. As often as we have to. We'll also use the suits for construction, helping out where the greater power of the suits is needed. Now, all we want is to get home before we drop. Please. We'll grant interviews later."

It was as if a knife had parted the observers; they stepped aside, making a corridor of people between the dinning area and the High Seat. They walked the corridor, Wufei and Milliardo first, then Trowa and Quatre, Heero and Duo followed last. It didn't take them any time at all to get to the doors of home.

Milliardo went first but managed to place himself to watch over his companions in case someone tried to stop them for some reason.

Quatre and Trowa made it into the residence but Duo was stopped by a man who reached out and touched him on the shoulder, Heero grabbed his wrist and held it, but the man didn't struggle. He just stood and waited.

"Easy, 'Ro." Duo turned to the man and asked, "What is it?"

"I just wanted to say ... well, thanks. You didn't have to go out there. You're all just kids. But you went out and did something that none of us could have done. The construction crews just cut cables, something they do all the time, but you defended us all against..." He waived his arm, "overwhelming odds. You could have holed up and let us do our best. Instead you risked your lives for a bunch of ..."

"People who are doing the same thing we're doing," Duo grinned at him then turned to a nearby camera. "We're all building new lives. One day at a time." He turned and entered his new home. The door shut. Men and women nodded at each other and the crowd drifted away.

THE END

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Squadron in this case is based on the US Military platoon of 50 individuals.

I know I promised more, but this is it. That's all she wrote. It just seemed like all I was doing was 'adding to the word count'. Please don't ask me for another sequel. There isn't one. This story has actually become a burden to me. I'll write some side stories, after a while. Stories of building the colony and a few other things. Mostly medium length one-shots. Thanks to all who have read, loved and commented. I really appreciate it and I'm sorry to disappoint but it's just over.


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